Nigeria Content Online

African cinema
consultant, June Givanni, has been appointed programmer and jury
coordinator of the first Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF).

Organisers say her
appointment will add “global credibility” to the festival holding in
Port Harcourt, Rivers State, from December 1 to 5.

Creative director
of AFRIFF and chief executive, African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA),
Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, added that Givanni’s appointment will also ensure
that the festival is up to global standards.

The Uk-based
Givanni is a vastly experienced expert in the movie industry. She
programmed Planet Africa at the Toronto International Film Festival for
a number of years, and works with festivals in India, the Caribbean,
and North America.

Apart from
programming, Givanni has also worked in managerial capacities in film
organisations, including the British Film Institute, where she ran the
African Caribbean Unit. She is the editor of the book, ‘Symbolic
Narratives: African Cinema’ and also edited the ‘Black Film Bulletin’
until 1997.

Givanni said she looked forward to helping the festival achieve its goals while reacting to her appointment.

With ‘Africa
Unites’ as its theme, AFRIFF will feature technical training sessions,
business and networking sessions, and launch of a film and equipment
market.

Local and
international filmmakers, celebrities, and others interested in the art
and business of filmmaking will participate in the five-day festival
being hosted by the Rivers State government.