By Staff Reporter
news@alexreporter.co.za
Siya and Rachel Kolisi’s film to open Africa Rising International Film Festival. More than 30 Pan-African films to screen at ARIFF 2021
ARIFF has announced the full lineup of screenings and programmes for its fourth edition themed Africa In Me #MyStory.
The festival is taking place from 25 November to 28 November 28 2021 online and on-site in venues across Johannesburg.
This year’s festival programme is supported by 4 key pillars, which are screenings, talks and panels (ARIFF Talks), social impact (ARIFF Film Child), and digital, and the Digital Hub programme.
“We seek to package African films for export to the global stage while being at the centre of driving change and being a motivating anchor that unearths authentic African stories,” said festival chair Lala Tuku, speaking at a virtual press roundtable.
“The films selected for this year’s edition celebrate our collective Africanness but in so doing are not tone-deaf to issues faced by everyday people on the continent,” Tuku added.
In line with ARIFF’s vision of being a voice in film for a change, some of the films selected make bold statements.
“Our mandate as ARIFF is to raise social issues. That’s why we are opening the festival with a film like ‘We Are Dying Here’ – a short South African film based on a stage production.
Executive produced by Rachel and Siya Kolisi, the film is a poetic indictment of the prevalence of gender-based violence in South Africa,” stated festival director Ayanda Sithebe.
The films selected for screening at this year’s festival went through a meticulous vetting process led by Sihle Hlophe.
“We are proud to present a wide array of films that celebrate African cinema and are aligned with our theme, ‘Africa In Me #MyStory’. We have films from more than 30 African countries (including Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya) as well as films from the African diaspora,” said Hlophe, adding that the festival sought out films featuring strong African voices, pleasing aesthetics, and social relevance. 
A new addition to ARIFF’s line-up this year is the Pan-African Cinema Legends Series aimed at honoring creatives who have contributed immensely to the African film industry. The inaugural honoree is a BAFTA – award-winning filmmaker and actress Ms. Xoliswa Sithole.
This year’s festival will culminate with the screening of an LGBTQI+ centered film called ‘I Am Samuel’. Filmed over five years in Kenya.
‘I Am Samuel’ is an intimate portrait of a Kenyan man balancing the pressures of family loyalty, love, and safety; and questioning the concept of conflicting identities. The film was banned by the Film Classification Board in Kenya.
“A hundred years from now, ARIFF wants to make sure that we’ll be able to look back at a glorious archive of impactful African stories told by storytellers with an authentically African point of view,” Tuku concluded.
For more information on ARIFF’s exhaustive 2021 programme, please visit: https://ariff.tv/, and for high resolution images, please see here https://we.tl/t-71UXfZYRhw.
The Africa Rising International Film Festival is an annual premier film festival produced by young people and leading women in the African film industry.
It is chaired by producer, actress and businesswoman Lala Tuku alongside Actor, Spaces founder Ayanda Sithebe, who serves as the Festival director.
At the heart of the festival is the exhibition of African cinema and programmes curated for the continent’s transformation to thrive.
A new addition to ARIFF’s line-up this year is the Pan-African Cinema Legends Series aimed at honoring creatives who have contributed immensely to the African film industry. The inaugural honoree is a BAFTA – award-winning filmmaker and actress Ms. Xoliswa Sithole.
This year’s festival will culminate with the screening of an LGBTQI+ centered film called ‘I Am Samuel’. Filmed over five years in Kenya.
‘I Am Samuel’ is an intimate portrait of a Kenyan man balancing the pressures of family loyalty, love, and safety; and questioning the concept of conflicting identities. The film was banned by the Film Classification Board in Kenya.
“A hundred years from now, ARIFF wants to make sure that we’ll be able to look back at a glorious archive of impactful African stories told by storytellers with an authentically African point of view,” Tuku concluded.
For more information on ARIFF’s exhaustive 2021 programme, please visit: https://ariff.tv/, and for high resolution images, please see here https://we.tl/t-71UXfZYRhw.
The Africa Rising International Film Festival is an annual premier film festival produced by young people and leading women in the African film industry.
It is chaired by producer, actress and businesswoman Lala Tuku alongside Actor, Spaces founder Ayanda Sithebe, who serves as the Festival director.
At the heart of the festival is the exhibition of African cinema and programmes curated for the continent’s transformation to thrive.