During Göteborg International Film Festival 2010 we will take a closer look at the African continent. Among the highlighted films is Soul Boy from Kenya, produced by Tom Tykwer.

- There are so many things going on in the countries on the African continent and it is important to find and screen films portraying it, created by the people who live and work there, says Marit Kapla, festival director at Göteborg International Film Festival.
  
Last winter a Swedish delegation with representatives from different organizations traveled to the Fespaco festival, in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The goal was to find new ways of cooperating with filmmakers from the African countries.

The cooperation with the Rotterdam festival and their project "Forget Africa" is another measure to look for films and filmmakers in a new way.

- Normally the African films screened at international festivals come from North Africa, the country South Africa and the former French colonies. Due to the extremely exciting "Forget Africa" project we will be able to give a more complete picture of the African film landscape this time, says Marit Kapla.

The African focus will be presented in several different ways during the festival:

• In the film programme: The African programme consists so far of nine films - stretching from music documentaries to realistic stories from the hoods in Kenya to the upper middle class in Mali:

 
- Burdening Memories of a Cleaning Lady (Souvenirs encombrants d'une femme de ménage) by Danii Kouyaté, Burkina Faso
- Le Fauteuil by Missa Hebié, Burkina Faso
- Harragas by Merzak Allouache, Algeria/France
- Sawa by Martin Nganguem Kamdem, Cameroon
- Seasons of a Life by Charles Shema Joyah, Malawi
- Shirley Adams by Oliver Hermanus, South Africa/USA
- Soul Boy by Hawa Essuman, Kenya/Germany
- St Louis Blues (Un transport en commun)  by Dyana Gaye, Senegal/France
- Tell Me Who You Are (Min Yè) by Souleymane Cissé, Mali

• Through the project "Forget Africa", in cooperation with International Film Festival Rotterdam. Around ten African projects will be presented, in pairs with international film makers who have documented their meetings with chosen African countries.

 
During the last six months Rotterdam programmer Gertjan Zuilhof, together with commisioned daring film makers from all over the world, has travelled to African countries normally almost invisible on the cinematic map. The goal was to rediscover a continent on its own terms.

Read more about "Forget Africa" here

• In the seminars "Forget Africa" and "Producing African films", where representatives from the festival's film fund, financed by SIDA, participate together with African film makers.

• On the guest list. At least four representatives from "Forget Africa" will attend, as well as several other directors of the films in the programme.

• At parties, events and happenings during the festival period.