By Jody Hassett Sanchez | Project Founder
"Just knowing that journalists and filmmakers across the globe genuinely care about my short documentaries is what keeps me going on the rough days."
- African Film Project graduate
Pick up a newspaper or watch the latest documentary short and the stories you'll likely find from Africa are reported by journalists from Europe and the US. Many of the writers spend a day, a week, perhaps a month, in country to get their report. They don't have relationships with Africans outside of those in official circles and they don't necessarily have to account to anyone locally about the stories that they prepare.
What we strive to do by training up journalist-filmmakers from Africa is to have them bring that context, bring that accountability and bring that richness to the continent's incredible stories that is so often missing. By empowering them with cameras, scripting and editing skills as well as providing ongoing mentoring, we are able to play a small part in fostering the next generation of Africa's story-tellers.
Last month, we were able to bring one of our graduates to lower Manhttan for a two day event with journalists around the world. This was the first time she was able to successfully get a visa to the US from Kenya and said she believes that part of the reason is because of her work through the African Film Project. During those two days, she was able to make connections with broadcasters in the UK, Ireland and Eastern Europe who expressed interest in seeing her short documentaries and building a relationship that could lead to a broadcast of her work in the future.
The genesis of this project was a vision for Africa's most powerful stories to be told by those who know them in their bones, those who live them and those who have the courage to tell them, despite the consequences. When one of our graduates is able to shine amidst a group of top journalists and filmmakers from around the world, we are thankful and proud.
We are still working to ensure that these stories end up in the proper pipelines to reach an international audience. In 2016, we'll be looking to you for support in all ways, as we prepare to select our next group of students for the program. Thank you in advance for being with us on this adventure.
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