AFRICAN WOMEN IN THE TIME OF COVID-19:

A SHORT FILM COMPETITION

The Ladima Foundation, in partnership with the DW Akademie, is excited to announce a short-film competition aimed at African women during the world-altering Covid-19 pandemic and related lockdown.

The competition is open to African women content creators and filmmakers of any age or experience level, currently living in Africa. The competition aims to encourage women to share their stories as we create a living document of a time and place – of the specific circumstances that women in Africa currently find themselves, under various degrees of lock-down, through the limitations on movement, opportunity, and often, basic freedoms.

The impact of Covid-19 across the globe, and especially in Africa, is felt more by the vulnerable in society. In many African countries women’s opportunities and access to opportunities are limited, and the economic and social impact of Covid-19 is, in many cases, impacting women harder and in different ways than their male counterparts. There are issues affecting woman such as domestic violence, altered access to opportunities, increased burden of care, and many others.

This film competition invites women to share these experiences – be they challenging, positive or simply questioning. The stories should be honest, personal, and specifically related to the current COVID-19 situation. Entries across genres are welcome, from animation and fiction, to documentary or interview style – just as long as the content is 2 minutes or shorter.

Entry is FREE and women will need to register on the Ladima Foundation’s newly revamped A-List in order to enter: https://ladima.africa/film-competition/ [1]

To coincide with the competition launch, the Ladima Foundation has upgraded the A-List from a simple searchable database to an interactive platform for sharing job, funding, and training opportunities, and for connecting and networking.

When it was launched in late 2018, the A-List quickly garnered members and support – with an initial uptake of over 500 women. The list currently has close to 1,000 members from over 30 countries, and with the new upgrades and features is sure to attract many more women.

Vetted companies and organisations can still search the platform to find women in key sectors and companies, whilst women who are members can find and connect with each other and share and apply for opportunities.

Registration on the A-List is free to any woman living and working in Africa within the many skills areas of the film, TV and content sectors.  The list, already a valuable tool for networking and sourcing skills from across Africa, is now poised to become a truly interactive community with further upgrades planned for the near future.

Ten winning films will be selected by a jury and then streamed on the Ladima website along with other partner websites.   Each winning filmmaker will also receive 500 EURO as well as access to a year’s worth of educational and inspirational webinars on the USA’s Women Make Movies platform, https://www.wmm.com/ [2]],valued at approximately $500.

SELECTION & JUDGING CRITERIA:

Any woman currently living in Africa may enter. In order to enter you must register on the A-List:

Competition opens at 9am Monday, June 1st 2020 and entries must be received by midnight GMT + 2 on Sunday June 21st 2020.

Full terms and conditions are on the Ladima website.

The films must be under 2 minutes and must focus on the following themes through an inspirational, educational, personal, or  leadership lens :

    * Women with special needs / Coping with special needs during the Lockdown / Caring for Persons with special needs during a global pandemic
    * Impact on family / domestic life
    * Economic / impact on work life
    * Domestic violence / abuse in the time of Covid-19
    * Hope in the time of Covid-19
    * Are women paying a higher price?
    * How does the crisis highlight and affect the role of women?
    * The crisis as a kick to rethink the social order
    * Solidarity and empowerment among women in times of Covid -19

The films will be judged on the following criteria:

    * THEME    Connection and relevance to the themes above
    * STORY    Concept

Story has a clear message and a unique storyline Originality of story and / or approach

Rich and vibrant storytelling that engages, amuses or provokes the viewer

    * QUALITY OF PRODUCTION

Best use of technology

Technical aspects such as lighting, sound etc.

    * CREATIVITY         Original and captivating

Imaginative writing and directing

Presents the theme in an interesting way

    * EMOTIONAL IMPACT/AUDIENCE APPEAL

Visually appealing and entertaining

Affects the audience through eliciting an emotional response

Creates a lasting impression

    * STRUCTURE  Images / elements  are arranged logically in a way that fits the purpose of the film

ABOUT THE LADIMA FOUNDATION

The Ladima Foundation is a Pan-African non-profit organisation founded with the aim of contributing to correcting the major imbalances within the film, TV and content industries.

The Ladima Foundation supports and recognises African women in Film, TV  and Content.  Through training and networking programmes, we uplift, connect and include.  Ladima operates in the spirit of positivity, excellence and integrity.

Through a number of initiatives, The Ladima Foundation supports, trains, and mentors women in a variety of roles within the film, TV, and content spaces.

Through partnerships and collaborations in various countries, as well as through Pan-African networks and interventions, the Ladima Foundation is committed to developing training, networking, and related opportunities for women professionals who demonstrate their seriousness and commitment
to their craft. www.ladima.africa [3]

ABOUT DW AKADEMIE

DW Akademie is Deutsche Welle's center for international media development. As a strategic partner of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), DW Akademie carries out media development projects that strengthen the human right to freedom of opinion and promote free access to information. DW Akademie also works on projects funded by the German Foreign Office and the European Union - in approximately 50 developing and emerging countries.