ZIFF Last Call for Films 2013

The 16^th Zanzibar International Film Festival  is fast approaching and is encouraging all film makers and producers not to miss the opportunity to bring in their movies before the 31^st of March for them to be showcased during the festival.

ZIFF which will take place in Stone Town, Zanzibar from the 29^th of June to 7^th July seeks to provide opportunity for filmmakers to showcase their films to an international audience. The festival’s official competition has four major categories which include Feature and short films, documentaries or short films, East African films and Short or Animation films. Entry fee for any of these categories is free and open to all African countries and the countries of the Indian Ocean Rim and Indian Ocean Islands and the deadline for submission is 31^st of March.

The festival has also announced that they will give priority to films that depict the festival's theme - Global Images Meet in Zanzibar, which conveys the idea of merging realities in a global village, cultural encounter, engagement and exchange. Films in any genre - features, documentaries, short films, animation and music videos are welcome.

Zuku also announced that it will sponsor the film festival ZIFF to the tune of TSH 160 million this year. This year's sponsorship cost is part of Zuku 10 years agreement (2012-2022) to sponsor the annual event at a cost of $USD 1,000,000.

“The festival aims to showcase African films, and the message from the organizers and sponsors is clear: African institutions must support their own stories in order for them to be told,” said Martin Mhando, adding “We therefore urge filmmakers to utilise this platform.”

This year the category of award will include: Best Short Film, Best Animation, Best Documentary, Best East Africa Film,  Best Features Film, Ousamane Sembene Film for Development  and the ,Verona award. In addition, Zuku sponsorship will also introduce new awards category at the festival. They include Zuku Film Award, Best Actor Award and the Best Actress Award, which will go to new players in the industry.

Ali Muruki, Chairman of Wananchi Group, said “Zuku is proud to once again be part of ZIFF a truly local festival and we continue to work closely with the festival to promote local talent in film and music and to develop the film, entertainment and media industry in East Africa. ZIFF has over the last 15 years been instrumental in growing the film industry in East Africa by providing a platform enabling and celebrating film making from our regions.

He added, “We at Zuku believe that there are several African works and stories that need to be shared to inspire, to entertain and to illuminate the world with the unique cultural offerings of the continent. And I encourage all filmmakers to take advantage of this and bring in their films for the world to learn and be entertained.

For details on what you will need to submit and how you can submit your film visit www.ziff.or.tz