Film festivals take African cultural heritage around the world – and help keep it alive

African film festivals were once quite rare, but in the past decades they’ve been growing in the continent and mushrooming around the world.

A recent open access book explores these events through case studies.

The book’s editor, African cinema scholar Sheila Petty, has also written chapters in it about the role film festivals play in creating a living and lasting conversation about African culture.

We asked her five questions.

What generally happens at a film festival? Since the world’s first international film festival in Venice, Italy, in 1932, film festivals have created spaces for the discovery of new stories and cultures.

The main idea is to bring films to local audiences that wouldn’t otherwise have the opportunity to see them in movie theatres.

These festivals can be large or small, annual or a one-off event.

Some film festivals offer premiere screenings and red carpet events.

A jury awards prizes for best film, best directing, best acting and the like.

This can include audiences voting for the most popular film.

Many festivals focus on a single topic or genre (like documentary or fantasy or climate change) and this determines the type of films shown at them.

Festivals act as community-builders.

They are also spaces where lifelong friendships and working relationships can be formed through the love of cinema.

They don’t just programme films, they also hold workshops and discussion panels, and often other cultural exhibits of art, music and performance.