Ousmane BOUNDAONE, Coordinator of FESPACO Pro presents his organisation.
FESPACO-PRO INFO (FPI): What is FESPACO Pro?
Ousmane BOUNDAONE (OB): FESPACO Pro is the professional component of the film industry. It is a space for promoting film companies and interacting with foreign countries. It mainly consists of workshops, master classes and lectures. The main assignment of FESPACO pro includes distributing and promoting films.
FPI: What are the key activities of FESPACO Pro?
OB: We are essentially planning two workshops: Yennenga workshop and Yennenga connection. Yennenga workshop has three components: Yennenga Post Production, Yennenga Academy, and Yennenga Coproduction. Yennenga Post Production is designed for those who have finished producing and lack the financial and technical means to complete their project. Yennenga Academy is a space of transmission and
immersion for young filmmakers who interact with great figures of the African
cinema. The last component is Yennenga coproduction, which focuses on fiction
feature film directors. It promotes coproduction across different countries, the film becoming an international production and therefore better sold. The second round of workshops relates to Yennenga Connection. This is a space for interaction between different actors of the film industry. Through master classes, the pioneers who have left their mark on the African cinema share their experiences with the youth. This edition has provided for a space where the elders and the youth can share, with the aim to further develop the quest for meaning in productions.
FPI: Do you think African cinema can compete with cinema from other continents?
OB: We have the same capabilities to create as those on the international scene.
We just need the right tool. In Burkina Faso, for example, there is no permanent funding for the inception of a film industry.
