The Berlinale Africa Hub will be home of the latest edition of Engage. Engage is a series of critical think tank and panel conversations on the future perspectives of the African and African diaspora screen industries held at various film festival and markets on and off the African continent. Following a closed by-invitation-only Engage think tank on African talent development initiatives, the status quo of north-south collaborations, south-south collaborations as well as synergies between the African continent and its diasporas, the Berlinale Africa Hub will host this public-facing panel resuming one of the think tank discussions.

Subsequent to the think tank, an Engage report will be drafted and made available via the EFM’s website.

Engage @ Berlinale Africa Hub is organized in collaboration with DOX BOX, Awotélé, United Screens (SAVVY Contemporary) and Schwarze Filmschaffende Community.

With
Elias Ribeiro (Creative Producer Indaba, South Africa)
Mehret Manfredo (Realness Institute, Ethiopia)
Azza Chaabouni (Takmil/JCC, Tunisia)

Moderated by Tiny Mungwe (Talent Developer, South Africa)

The mythical mainstream audience no longer holds the sway it once did and has given way to the recognition of the existence of a multiplicity of audiences. Boosted by the technological power and outreach of VOD, OTT and TV platforms, this shift has led to the formation of businesses and strategies both within Africa itself and in its diasporas that aim to cater for audiences on and off the continent. TV contenders and larger corporations on the continent as well as in countries with large diaspora communities are increasingly targeting their content and marketing strategies towards both audiences. This panel will probe both the tastes of these audiences, the ways in which the platforms curate for them and the strategies employed to capture and captivate these audiences.

With
DeShuna Spencer (Kweli TV, USA)
Eveline Diatta-Accrombessi (Edan TV West Africa, Ivory Coast)
Tigist Kebede (Habesha View, UK)

Moderated by Coréon Dú (Creative Director, Angola)