Staff Writer
Zimbabwe International Film Festival 2023 will with effect from this year’s edition become a Pan-African Film Festival that showcases films from Zimbabwe, Africa, and the African diaspora.
This is in recognition and support for the AU’s initiative, inspired by the African Union’s Agenda 2063: The Africa We Want.
In a statement on the website, Zimbabwe International Film Festival Trust said it chose the Pan-African outlook which is “Africa’s strategic framework to drive its goal for inclusive and sustainable development and the pan-African drive for unity, self-determination, freedom, progress and collective prosperity.”
The 2023 edition of ZIFF will be held from 2 to 7 October 2023 under the theme “ASPIRATION5”, the first in The Africa We Want Season of festivals the organization plans to run.
“The theme is inspired by Aspiration 5 of AGENDA 2063: The Africa We Want. ASPIRATION5 calls for an Africa with a strong cultural identity, common heritage, shared values, and ethics,” ZIFFT said.
The festival will be preceded by a two-day conference to unpack Aspiration 5 of the Agenda 2063 from 29 to 30 September 2023 at the Great Zimbabwe monument in partnership with Great Zimbabwe University an institution with a strong commitment to the preservation of Zimbabwean heritage.
The conference will feature a number of speakers, including filmmakers, academics, policymakers, and youth.
The speakers will discuss the role of film in promoting African culture, the challenges facing the African film industry, and the future of African cinema with a solutions-based approach to the process.
The festival itself will be a showcase of films from Africa and the diaspora, including Afro-descendants from Latin America and the Caribbean.
Representatives from East, West, North and Southern Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean have confirmed participation.
ZIFF23 will reach out across Zimbabwe in partnership with the National Gallery of Zimbabwe (NGZ), the institution dedicated to the preservation of Zimbabwean culture and heritage, with Screenings and a Critics workshop developed in collaboration with the NGZ and taking place at the NGZ locations in Harare, Bulawayo, Mutare and Victoria Falls. Main screenings in Harare will be delivered in partnership with Theatre in the Park.
The ZIFFTHUB will be the home of the creative community during the festival with Workshops, Masterclasses and screenings taking place in Kensington, Harare.
The ZIFF23 begins with the Opening Night on 2 October 2023 and will conclude with a Closing night on 6 October 2023 and will be followed by an Awards ceremony on 7 October 2023, confirming the ASPIRATION5 by recognizing the best work created in the African film zeitgeist.
The awards ceremony will showcase African film, fashion, and food in collaboration with the Embassies and other partners.
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