The 31st edition of the African Asian Latin American Film Festival – FESCAAAL kicks off in Milan. From 29 April to 8 May 2022 the Festival will animate theaters once again.
After being held entirely online in 2021, this year FESCAAAL will take place in hybrid version – both in presence and online. The claim chosen for this year’s edition is “Crossing Zebra”, recalling the symbol of FESCAAAL, a Zebra head that for the occasion was redesigned in a “pixelated” version.
This year, FESCAAAL’s Zebra crosses, intersects and overcomes the difficulties and impediments of two complex years that have seriously jeopardized the survival of film festivals, experimenting once again with new ways of relating to the public.
“With the claim Crossing Zebra” say the artistic directors of FESCAAAL Annamaria Gallone and Alessandra Speciale, “we want to evoke the crossing of physical and virtual spaces of a festival that, since its creation in 1991, has crossed cultures and brought innovation and that today also offers new ways of communicating and promoting cinema in presence and online.“
The 10 days of screenings, meetings with guests and filmmakers, and special events will give spectators the opportunity to meet with actors and directors of the three continents, such as directors Abderrhamane Sissoko, Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, and Alain Gomis.
The 49 films – 26 of which aired for the first time in Italy – have all been selected and awarded at the most important international Festivals – some from areas not used to film production, such as Djibouti or the Central African Republic. All movies will be screened in original language with Italian subtitles, preceded by a video-presentation of the director.
The Festival will be divided into six sections: Feature Film Competition Finestre sul Mondo, a selection of 10 films of the latest productions of fiction and documentaries; African Short Film Competition, with the best short films made by directors from all over Africa. The section aims to promote young directors in their first steps in cinema and show the new trends and experimentations of African cinema.
Extr’A Competition, dedicated to the films of Italian directors that explore cultural diversity in Italy; Flash Section, which collects the recent works of established directors, films acclaimed by critics or awarded at major international festivals. Among the titles on the program there is also Twist à Bamako, the opening film of the festival; And Everybody Laughs… the section of the festival dedicated to comedies, and finally the section Out of Competition.
Among the extra-cinema events, the appointment with Africa Talks, the format of in-depth analysis on contemporary Africa organised by Fondazione Edu and Associazione COE, returns for the 5th consecutive year, with a round table and a film. The 2022 edition will focus on Africa’s cultural and creative industries.
“Through Africa Talks“, says Matteo Stefanelli, President of Fondazione Edu “we want to stimulate a reflection on innovative and emerging aspects of the continent: this year we talk about a market only partially known in Italy, and we hope to contribute to the construction of a more up-to-date imaginary on African cultural and creative production“.
The Festival of African, Asian and Latin American Cinema is organized by the Association Centro Orientamento Educativo – COE and is a founding member of MFN – Milano Film Network, the network that combines the experience and resources of the seven Milanese film festivals.
