ABSTRACT
The lack of access to African cinema has been decried by scholars, critics, curators and cinephiles for decades. As film festival curators and researchers, the authors have privileged access to films, whereas this is not the case for most audiences as cinemas and film festivals worldwide continue to neglect African film. When it comes to the exhibition of African films at film festivals around the world, there is a gaping hole in the programmes of most of the prominent festivals where women’s films are concerned. While the major players such as Cannes and Berlinale do occasionally recognise the quality of African cinema, they tend to stick to certain individual favourite directors rather than acknowledging a solid basic knowledge of the diversity of African cinema. There are many festivals dedicated to African cinema globally – in many European countries and in the Americas, to Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
