‘CAPITAINE MBAYE’, a co-production of renowned Rwandan filmmaker Joel Karekezi, is among the 22 top projects selected to take part in the forthcoming 17th Francophone co-production meeting (RCF) slated for November 10-12, in Brussels, Belgium. Having been postponed in 2020 because of the health crisis caused by the covid-19 pandemic, the annual event will finally take place in November this year and will welcome the teams behind the 22 projects, including 17 fiction features, three animated features and two TV series, in search of partners. The meeting will bring together 150 professionals from the film industry including producers, financial partners, international sellers, distributors and broadcasters to discuss the financing and co-production of film and television works in French. This year’s edition will focus on Lebanon, a member country of the International Organisation of La Francophonie, which has had a long and storied relationship with the French language. RCF events are organised for members of the film industry on the lookout for business opportunities. Participants will have the chance to meet the project leads during one-to-one meetings, attend a video-pitch session, have discussions with French-language support funders, and attend various round-tables and conferences. Professionals will, particularly, hold discussions on the diversity in film schools and in TV series. A conference on Lebanese cinema will also be on the agenda. As the RCF event hosts, Belgium has four projects among the 22 selected to take part in the event. They include ‘Bagarres’, a feature debut by Catherine Cosme, ‘Mercy of the Jungle’, a production of Joel Karekezi, ‘Alone at My Wedding’ by Marta Bergman and ‘Escapada’ by Sarah Hirtt. Also set to be introduced are four Canadian projects, including two animated features; eight French projects, including one animated feature and one series; two Luxembourgish projects, including one series; two Swiss projects; and two projects from Lebanon, this year’s guest country. A brief about ‘Capitaine Mbaye’ Slated to be released in 2023, ‘Capitaine Mbaye’ is a co-production of Joel Karekezi, Belgian filmmaker Aurelien Bodinaux and French Oualid Baha. The 90-minute movie, which is under development, is inspired by a true story of what happened during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi where Captain Mbaye is sent as a UN observer to Rwanda. Under the impassive gaze of the international community, the Genocide breaks out. He defies orders of his superiors and singlehandedly organise rescue operations.
