FILM IS A LANGUAGE,
says Martin Mhando, the current curator
and CEO of Zanzibar International Film
Festival (ZIFF). Because film is about
breaking narrative conventions and about
diversity.
The Zanzibar International Film Festival
(ZIFF) is an annual film festival held in
Zanzibar, Tanzania. Being the largest cultural
event in East Africa, ZIFF is a non-governmental organization established in 1997 in
order to develop and promote film industry as
a catalyst for the regional social and economic
growth. The annual multi-disciplinary cultural
event is an All Arts Affair, with 8 days of local
and international discussion panels, workshops,
10 days of screenings of the best local and
international cinema and evenings of musical
concerts, including a Gala opening and wrapping-up finale. All festival programs are to fuse
together diverse artistic expressions and forms,
offering a wide range of entertainment, educational platforms and networking opportunities
for professionals as well as audiences from all
over the world. The ZIFF’s unquestionable
position as a large multi-disciplinary festival in
Africa continues to lead as a tourist attraction
event in the region. It is estimated that 7,000
tourists from the West came to Zanzibar to attend the festival and the total festival audience
in the past years was in excess of 100,000 with
wide appeal across race, class and religions. Its
impact on the economy of Zanzibar is indisputable. ZIFF gives 12 International Awards
presented by 5 International Juries