PanAfrican Film Podcast: Recent Episodes
360Africa
The Panafrican Film Podcast, a platform for constructive discussions about stories relating to all African cultures, across the continent and in the Diaspora.Join Anna Marano, a Development Executive based in New York and Nazizi Hirji, Hip Hop Artist & Radio Presenter based in Nairobi as they discuss a different Panafrican film in each episode.
In this episode Anna interviews Andrew Osayemi, CEO of MTA Productions and the Creator of Meet the Adebanjos. A pioneering 2012 sitcom following the lives and hilarious times of a British Nigerian family living in London.
Documentary film which won several awards over the past couple of years, including at the 2022 Pan African Film festival. It traces Yeshi Kassa’s journey to uncover her family’s history. As the great granddaughter of Haile Selassie, she looks for answers to how her family survived the 1974 coup, at what cost and what happened to those who didn’t survive.
THEMES:
History
Revolution
Royalty
Family
Truth
Reconciliation
In the latest episode Anna talks to Visual Communications Specialist Mirchaye Sahlu. As a journalist she effectively uses the visual arts for her communications through reporting, hosting, PSAs, testimonials and documentaries.
BlaxploItalian is a documentary tracing 100 year evolution of Black presence in Italian Cinema.
The Director: Fred Kuwornu is consumed by the lack of representation of Afro-Italians on screen and also the exoticism, stereotyping and dehumanizing nature of the few roles that were available in Italian cinema over the years. Released in 2016, it is an important and beautiful research which taps into the very real, yet previously untold, struggles faced by African-American, Afro-Latino and Afro-Italian actors and filmmakers.
THEMES:
Identity
Socio-Political history of Italian Cinema
Representation
Black Culture
In this episode Anna speaks to acclaimed Producer, Writer, Director Mehret Mandefro,
Mehret is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker, serial entrepreneur, and thought leader
that champions the creative arts as a path to developing a more just society. Her
credits include the Sundance and Berlinale Audience Award winner Difret, the New York
Times Critic’s Pick Little White Lie, and showrunner of Ethiopia’s first-ever teen drama series Yegna. She recently executive produced the American Masters feature
documentary film How It Feels To Be Free and feature narrative film Sweetness in the
Belly which are both streaming on Amazon Prime. Mehret co-founded the independent media production company Truth Aid Media in the US, its sister company A51 Pictures in Ethiopia, the Realness Institute in South Africa, and was formerly the Executive Producer of Kana Television in Ethiopia which was acquired by Canal+. Her track record scaling up media businesses and using narrative to shift culture secured her a spot on Variety’s list of most impactful women in global entertainment. She is a sought-after speaker on these topics and has a TED talk about the impact of the creative industry for economic growth in Africa.
Her latest media venture, TBTM Studios, is headquartered in Dubai and has a slate of projects across documentary and scripted featuring Africa’s leading voices. Mehret is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences
and is represented at CAA for film, television, and speaking.
On the night before her wedding, Kat’s fiancé dumps her. To cheer her up, best friends Noks and Lu,
persuade a devastated Kat to go on her honeymoon to Zanzibar with them; but will their friendship
survive a wild time in paradise?
A feel good whirlwind comedy focused on female friendships, THE HONEYMOON is a Pan African blend
of “Girls Trip” meets the “Hangover” spiced up with fusions of Asian, South and East African cultures
with a popping Afrobeats background.
THEMES:
Friendships
Gender equality
Marriage
Love
Wade in the Water is a feature documentary focused on telling the story and history of surfing from a truly Pan African perspective. It follows black surfing communities and describes some of the challenges they face as well as the benefits of the sport. A beautiful documentation of the sport’s evolution across the globe from a unique viewpoint.
You can follow the story at www.wadeinthewaterproject.com
THEMES:
Aquatic sports
Black History
Passion
TALES OF THE ACCIDENTAL CITY with Maimouna Jallow
In this experimental comedy, originally written for the stage in the unusual format of a VC call, four residents of Nairobi share their stories with an anger management counselor. As they share their stories of how they ended up in the court-ordered session, they tackle the heavy subjects which led to their rage and are encouraged to replace the feeling with courage.
THEMES:
Anger
Injustice
Violence
Coping techniques
Welcome to another episode of PanAfrican Film podcast. This episode's guest is director David 'Tosh' Gitonga.
Well known for the highly acclaimed and multiple award winning 2015 film Nairobi Half Life as well as other TV productions released this such as Country Queen and just recently released Netflix Kenyan romcom 'Disconnect 2'.
Tosh Gitonga talks about directing South African Netflix series 'The Brave Ones' about an all-mighty goddess reincarnates as a young woman during her near death experience. Ntsiki, played by Sthandile Nkosi, must harness her new divine power to avenge her sister’s death and protect her family from destruction.
THEMES:
Origins
Injustice/Corruption
Super powers
Family
In this episode of Pan African Film podcast co-hosted by co-hosted with Sydney Wanguhu. We discover how the intent to become invisible, in the production of an observational documentary, is transformed into a personal story about following her path into a new identity and standing strong in it.
In this observational documentary produced in 2018, award-winning Philippa Ndisi-Herrmann tells her personal story through the life of a Muslim boy. Her venture to Lamu, Kenya brings her closer to a new religious identity as an Islamic convert immersed in the town’s mostly Islamic population. She follows a polyamorous Muslim woman and her daily activities with her family, work, school, and mosque in a very raw, authentic, and poetic style. Comparing her Islamic lifestyle to what is more familiar brings her to question what is acceptable.
Themes:
- Religion-intersectionality- polygamy
- Documentation; photography/film
- Cultural exchanges
- Identity
In this episode of the Pan African Film Podcast, Anna speaks with Mbithi Masya, Writer, Director (and Musician) about his latest short film: BABA and more. The JUST A BAND member spoke about the proposed Afrobeats music genre category and why, for him, Pan Africanism means the erasure of border lines that were drawn by others.
Premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, 2022, BABA is a short 15min film about a Kenyan 6 year old boy who lives with his aunt, cousin and mother. Baba escapes a harsh reality of domestic abuse by teleporting into peaceful coping mechanisms and he relies on the protective power of his imagination.
In this episode Anna and Naz discuss the short film: Things I Never Told My Father with the debutant writer Letitia Wright. Letitia was on her first visit to the continent and what a surprise we found on this emotional and truly Pan African connection. Tune in.
Welcome back to another episode of PanAfrican film podcast. Anna and Naz are back with an interview with director Daphne Di Cinto aka Sarah Basset in the Netflix series Bridgerton.
Di Cinto talked about her film IL Moro, which translates to 'the Moor' - the mysterious Duke's nickname. IL Moro is beautiful 22 minute short film based on the life of Alessandro de' Medici, the very first Duke of Florence, who was also happened to be mixed-race, son of a woman of African descent and Pope Clement VII.
Anna And Nazizi are back with another episode of PanAfrican Film podcast.
The duo chopped it up with Tony Dunoyer, Excutive Producer of the film 'Premium' staring Zoe Saldana.
Premium is a coming of age romantic comedy written and directed by Pete Chatmond.
PLOT:
When Reginald "Cool" Coolidge's ex-fiancee Charli pulls into the gas station where he works, he realizes that he still loves her after three years apart. There's just one problem: Charli is marrying another man in 36 hours.
In this episode Anna and Naz talk to Wanjiru about her passion project, an investment in herself as a creative which is a truly Pan African short film. Boxed is a short, fictionalized film based on the terrifying brave escape journey of Henry “Boxed” Brown, an enslaved man who, in 1849, mails himself to freedom.
In this first episode, we speak with Ekwa Msangi, writer and director of the award-winning and critically acclaimed feature film, Farewell Amor. The film centers around topics of religion, immigration, family, and how long-distance relationships can have a toll on families.
In the second episode Anna and Naz speak to Maia Lekow and Karisa Kamango, creators of "The Letter" nominated by the Kenyan Film Commission as the national entry in the International Film category at the 2021 Oscars.
In Episode 3 of the PanAfrican Film Podcast we interview TAMARA DAWIT creator of the feature documentary FINDING SALLY, which was nominated at the Pan African Film Festival.
In this special edition, Anna and Nazizi catch up with director Michael Wanguhu and Russel Kenya and talk about their 2005 documentary, ‘Hip Hop Colony’. A feature documentary on the evolution of Kenyan Hip Hop culture in the early 2000s.
Anna and Nazizi are back with another episode where they get to talk to Botswana-American director, Thato Mwosa about her latest film, Memoirs of a Black Girl
In episode 5 Anna and Naz interview Madeline Johnson, director of short film named Juneteeth.