The Mobile Film Festival Africa unveiled the winners of its 2023 edition at a prize ceremony on Thursday in Rabat, Morocco.
According to organizers, the 54 films from 21 African countries also received grants worth $51,000 to enable the winners produce films to professional standards.
Sunday Mapya of Tanzania scooped the Grand Prize in the Africa category for his film titled ‘I Have a Dream Too‘.
The one minute film highlighted the plight of a young boy who is compelled to shoulder the burden of assuming family responsibilities at an early age owing to his poor background.
Despite his challenges, the boy remains steadfast in pursuing his dreams with the hope of eventually defying the odds.
Furthermore, Mapya received $10,000 and will attend a 10-day screenwriting training residency at ENS Louis-Lumière in Paris.
On the other hand, Kamal Lougleb of Morocco won the Grand Prize in the Moroccan category for his film named ‘The Guardian of the Walls’.
Lougleb also received a $10,000 prize and a 10-day training opportunity in Paris.
‘The Peninsula Dream’ by Nelly Brun Elvire Behanzin of Benin in the Francophone category and ‘Paaswaad’ by Daisy Apondi from Kenya featured in the EU Culture category.
Both Apondi and Behanzin took home $5,000 each as prize money.
The ceremony was the festival’s second pan-African edition, organized in partnership with the United Cities and Local Governments of Africa (UCLG Africa) and the Kingdom of Morocco’s Ministry of Youth, Culture and Communication.
About Mobile Film Festival Africa
The Mobile Film Festival Africa, which started in 2005, offers creative minds in the continent an opportunity to showcase one minute long films shot on mobile phones with funding to support production up for grabs.
Besides the technical support, the Mobile Film Festival aims at optimizing the visibility of the produced films through its popular digital platforms.
“Our goal is to support, expose and mentor the upcoming talented filmmakers from all over the world.”
Since 2015, the Festival has received 6414 films from 157 countries, 134 million views and awarded more than €360,000 in grants to the winners.