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Mthabisi Tshuma, Showbiz Correspondent

TWENTY-three film entries from 11 African countries have been selected to participate in the inaugural edition of the PIFF-Africa 2021 Film Festival.

The festival which is a partnership between the National Arts Council of Zimbabwe (NACZ) and the Piton International Film Festival (PIIF) will run virtually from the 13th to the 23rd of May.

The programme coordinator, Farai Kupfabvira who is the NACZ provincial arts manager for Midlands said there has been an overwhelming response from the continent to take part in the initiative which seeks to promote filmmakers who are based in Africa.

“At the close of submissions on the 17th of April, we had received 23 films from 11 African countries which include South Africa, Morocco, Uganda, Cameroon and two films from Zimbabwe,” she said.

Kupfavira said the themes and storylines for the submitted films were varied and included topical and hot issues that affect the African continent.

“The issues tackled in the films are wide and they include Gender-Based-Violence and sexuality which are prevalent in many countries even outside the African continent”, said Kupfabvira.

President and founder of PIFF Ed “Umoja” Herman said the response was overwhelming considering that the entries to the festival only opened in January.

“From music videos to full feature projects, PIFF-Africa is proud to see the level of work that has come to us and we will use our global platform to assist the filmmakers in getting their brand to more locations.

“Because we are based on the collaborative spirit, we will be working with the filmmakers who are interested in monetising work after the festival. Much thanks to all the filmmakers who have submitted to PIFF-Africa 2021, we look forward to building a long working relationship with you”, said Umoja.

PIFF-Africa 2021 is a 12-month initiative that focuses on celebrating filmmaking and seeks to work collaboratively with filmmakers who are based in Africa providing a unique opportunity for filmmakers for education, collaboration, and celebration, instead of competition.