Short Film Project - Zimbabwe

In 2001 ZIFFT saw the launch of the first project with the production of 2 short films under the guidance of the Africa Script Development Fund, Ice Films and the Zimbabwe International Film Festival (ZIFF) with co-operation from the UNESCO-Zimbabwe Film and Video Training Project.

At the beginning of the year, interested filmmakers and members of the public are invited to submit an original story idea for consideration. A selection committee then chooses up to 10 semi-finalists to attend a five-day Script Development Workshop. At the end of the workshop, no more than 5 winning scripts are selected for production under the supervision of SFP producer and co-ordinator.

The winning films are showcased during the September Festival at a special ceremony. The films are also screened during the year through the Zimbabwe International Video Fair around the country and are also submitted to other festivals and interested broadcasting agencies.

The project has conducted free film screenings around the year within Zimbabwe. To date they have screened films in Mbare, Dzivarasekwa and Kambuzuma. The are currently targeting Chitungwiza, and through their partnership with the International African Stories Video Fair, their short films were able to reach up to 800000 Zimbabweans through their mobile video van unit.

As part of the Short Film Project, the following are also conducted:
Cinema in the Park:ZIFF 2002 witnessed the launch of Cinema in the Park, free outdoor screenings in Harare Gardens. The inaugural edition was a Zimbabwe Retrospective from 1989-1999. Future editions will either be focused around a specific filmmaker or a specific country.

Kids With Cameras:This year, all ZIFF special events were captured on film by a noticeably young band of photographers called Kids With Cameras (KWC). KWC, a non-profit volunteer run photographic educational programme that promotes visual cultural exchange by teaching children between the ages of 9 and 16 about photography, communications, and art. All proceeds form Kids With Cameras photographs go towards Kids With Cameras school fees. Moreover, ZIFF also worked with KWC to conduct workshops for the Kids to help them apply their skills with still photography to the medium of film.

Flash ForwardMost recently ZIFF inaugurated Flash Forward, a programme for young aspiring entertainment writers to hone their writing skills within the festival environment and familiarise themselves with those involved in the film industry. Participants go through a rigorous workshop process under the mentorship of experienced journalists. They are introduced to festival management and work towards the creation of a Festival Newsflash. Their achievement is available free of charge to provide useful information about the festival to the public.

A Portrait of a Musician This is a series of five music videos and profiles of 5 different bands. This serves both as a way for filmmakers to expand their skills, and is also a way to begin to create an archive of music in Zimbabwe.

Technology

The organisers hope to provide a focus on African cinema and its development through partnerships with organisations like the Video Fair and Youth of Africa. " We hope to develop our outreach program to cover Zimbabwe and the Southern African region."

The project aims to fill a void in the Zimambwean film industry. "Due to the economic and political turbulence in Zimbabwe over the past few years, feature film production has ground to a halt. Indigenous production companies can no longer afford the costs involved with such an undertaking and negative international press discourages foreign filmmakers and investors from locating their films in Zimbabwe."