MTV’s 48Fest
film contest lands in Kenya
By TOSIN AJIRIRE
Saturday, June 30,
2007
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•Ibinabo
Photo: Sun News Publishing |
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Staying Alive, MTV International’s ongoing HIV and
AIDS prevention campaign, and African music channel, MTV base,
are joining forces to bring its thought-provoking film competition
48fest to Kenya for the first time.
The second annual film competition, taking place during the
International Women’s Summit in Nairobi from Tuesday,
July 3 to Thursday, 5, gives 30 youth delegates from all over
the world just 48 hours to write, shoot, edit, and deliver
a short film of three minutes on a specific HIV and AIDS issue.
For its African debut, 48fest Kenya will comprise six teams
of five youth delegates to the International Women’s
Summit. Each team will be assigned to create a film that focuses
on one of five female-driven, HIV and AIDS-themed issues,
including the feminization of the disease, access to VCT,
female condoms, HIV and pregnancy, and stigma and poverty.
The Teams
The teams will be accompanied by MTV technical staff and youth
experts based in Kenya, who will serve as mentors to offer
balanced assistance and to sharpen their skills across all
areas of filmmaking. All short films as well as a documentary
of the challenge will be available for broadcast in December
for World AIDS Day across all of MTV’s worldwide platforms
on air, online, and on mobile, as well as to third party broadcasters
and content distributors rights- and cost-free.
The "Best Film" will be announced by influential
music video and motion picture director Bryan Barber at an
intimate film screening and awards ceremony held at the Hilton
Intercontinental, Nairobi on 5 July.
"48fest Kenya challenges young people to trust their
courage, imagination and determination by making compelling
short films in just 48 hours," said Georgia Arnold, Vice
President, Public Affairs, MTV Networks International. "The
competition stays ahead of the curve by involving both MTV
viewers and the core HIV and AIDS community in the creation
of art that delivers a truly powerful message to a youth audience."
According to Alex Okosi, SVP and General Manager, MTV Networks
Africa, "MTV base Africa is committed to discussing issues
that are important to the youth of Africa. Promoting awareness
and prevention of HIV and AIDS in Africa is chief among them,
but young people often don’t have a voice when it comes
to these issues. We are very proud to be hosting the 48fest
Kenya and to give our youth the perfect opportunity to voice
their thoughts to their peers and the powers that be."
Worldwide Network
The 48fest Kenya films will be made available for broadcast
across MTV’s worldwide network of 55 TV channels, 17
mobile TV channels, and more than 60 online properties, including
African music channel MTV base (DStv Channel 88). In addition,
the shorts will be compiled into a documentary programme,
Staying Alive: 48fest Kenya (working title), that will showcase
the films as well as behind-the-scenes footage as the young
filmmakers progress through their many stages of film production.
Viewers can watch streaming coverage of the full competition
online at MTV International’s broadband channels. Offered
rights-free and cost-free to third party broadcasters, the
films and documentary will be available for worldwide broadcast
in December for World AIDS Day.
AIDS Conference
48fest Kenya comes on the heels of last year’s successful
48fest which took place in Toronto in conjunction with the
XVI International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2006). Fear and Loathing,
a three-minute film about stigma won "Best Film".
The winning team comprised of delegates from Bulgaria, Canada,
China, Guyana, India, and Uganda. In addition, all eight films
from 48fest won awards at the New York AIDS Film Festival,
and one film, The Last Time, was a finalist at the prestigious
New York Film Festival.
48fest Kenya is a partnership between MTV Networks International,
UNAIDS, the M-A-C AIDS Fund, The David and Lucile Packard
Foundation and UNFPA.
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