For four years now, the Black Star
International Film Festival (BSIFF) has
received over 3,000 film submissions from
filmmakers’ all over the world but sadly,
very few Ghanaian filmmakers’ submit
their films to the festival. Film festivals are
relevant platforms to help distribute the
work of filmmakers’ in an alternative way
but unfortunately, many Ghanaians miss the
opportunity. and advocate for an expansion of the local
film economy. The platform thus, attracts
attendees from around the world, ultimately
boosting our local economy.
There are records of certain internationally
recognized film festivals, like Toronto
International Film Festival-TIFF contributing
over $180million to their city’s economy
and the Sundance Film Festival contributing
over $400milliion to their State.
HOW PURPOSEFUL ARE FILM FESTIVALS
TO GHANAIAN FILMMAKERS’ IN THE
21ST CENTURY? Win astounding cash prizes
Another benefit of submitting your film to
a film festival like BSIFF is that, you get to
win some good money if you win an award
category. BSIFF has introduced the ‘Odehye3’
award category for Ghanaian filmmakers’
and it is a good opportunity to get some
money plus establish lifetime connections.
Film Festivals are awesome platforms for
Networking:
The Black Star International Film Festival
(BSIFF) offers filmmakers a unique
opportunity to network and encourages
dialogue between people and with the
international film community; a unique
platform to introduce their work, discuss
relevant industry topics as well as the
filmmaking process through their African
Film Market within the Festival.
A platform for discovering talents
Each year, filmmakers submit their films
to BSIFF in the hopes of getting their films
their work premiered. Film festivals open
doors for discovery of new and existing
talents within the industry. Our industry
is saturated with ‘old faces’ and the only
way we can change that is embracing and
patronizing film festivals. The side benefit
of submitting your films is that, there is a
high probability that a film can capture the
attention of international distributors.
Ghanaian filmmakers’ must help Ghana
tell her wonderful stories by pushing
themselves to doing quality work that meets
the standards of international film festivals
and together let’s showcase the value of film,
both creatively and economically. Trying
doesn’t hurt, so just try; you never know!
If you want to submit your film to the 5th
edition of the Black Star International Film
Festival to be held in August, send a mail to
[email protected] or Whatsapp
number 0506481853 for enquiries on how to
submit.
Promoting tourism and the local economy
The Black Star International Film Festival
for example, is focused on the business of
film and wants to promote film tourism
19 | Colossium . March 2020
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