Africa Needs To Show Up More ? The Worlds Biggest Gathering Of Filmmakers in Italy and Experience…CinemaDamare.

There is nothing better you can do for your self as an artist than test your limits. Transport your ideas to a place you have never been to before, or better yet let this new place inspire something in you that you did not know existed in the first place. This is what CinemaDamare will do for you and then some. It the people, the culture, the food, the lifestyle and general air of competitiveness and friendship alike that makes it truly one of the best experiences you will ever have in your life.

So let me explain in a nutshell what the fuss is all about. CinemaDamare is a festival founded years ago by Journalist Franco Rina in Southern Italy, Nova Siri. The aim of this festival was to bring together filmmakers from all around the world to share their ideas, equipment, mattresses, stories,love,laughs and cries. The festival which is mostly sponsored by the Italian government travels around Italy throughout the summer to 11 different locations in north, central and southern Italy, with accommodation fully provided in schools and hostels all through.

Imagine that, four thousand kilometers, traveling up and down Italy, discovering charming places and stories to be told. All while making long lasting friendships and connections with people from all over the world.

The festival is made up of two competitions. One is the Weekly Competition: at each stop, the directors shoot their short films drawing inspiration from their location several winners are picked depending on the categories the judges think should be awarded. It usually awards Best Film, Best Editing, Best Script, Best Cinematography and Best Production, all of which have a set cash prize. The award ceremony is usually the climax of a long and hard week of concept to production and is screened in the town square of the location that the festival before the public.

Whether you are an actress, director, producer, scenographer or editor everyone is obligated to participate in a different production every week. Which team you decide to work with is entirely up to you, but by the third or fourth week everyone sorts of gets a sense of direction on who they should work with and why. After all not everyone is compatible.

While CinemaDamare is probably not the most luxurious vacation you could imagine; most of it involved sleeping on air mattresses and sharing bathrooms, you will quickly dismiss the little discomforts for what you get is 10 times as much.

My only worry was the misrepresentation of African countries at the festival. Make no mistake this has nothing to do with the management. It mostly has to do with lack of awareness, I accidentally stumbled upon a link to apply and I was lucky that is the best link I have ever clicked at. CinemaDamare 2015 only had Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan and Tunisia representing Africa, a vast majority being from Europe and The South Americas. Now there is no excuse for Kenyans, show up and be counted.

All in all I had a the best  time. It was an experience filled with a lot of emotions, you will miss home (or not) you will feel out of place sometimes, you will despair for lack of ideas or the general pressure of the competition but all that you pull through. I did pretty badly for the first three weeks, I felt my ideas were lacking, shallow

and flat, but guess what I learned something new everyday and by week 8 I was weekly competition winner out if 160 filmmakers. Cool beans huh?

Here are the more basic things I would advise about the festival

• Spend your money wisely; you cater for your own food, you are bound to spend about 5 euros a day
• Control your relationships, if you decide to love a boy or a girl make sure it does not mess with your focus. Things get pretty intense
• Don't let anyone make you feel less than you are. There will be people from all walks of life who know nothing about Africa, answer as prudently as you can and move along.
• Drink lots of wine, if you drink. You will not find it cheaper anywhere else
• Be weary of Nigerians, they are everywhere!
• Take care of your stuff, Italy is not cheap
• Enjoy every moment and represent your country and our continent to the best of your abilities.
  

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