By Sainabou Sambou
The University of The Gambia (UTG) School of Journalism and Digital Media (SJDM) is hosting the fifth edition of The Gambia’s premier elite event, the Cinekambiya International Film Festival (CIFF). This year’s festival will take place at the UTG Kanifing Campus on December 6, 7, 8, 13, and 14, 2024.
The festival’s founder is Prince Bubacarr Aminata Sankanu, a lecturer in film studies at the University of The Gambia SJDM. Sankanu also serves as the President of the Film Producers Association of The Gambia and deputy government spokesperson.
Prince Sankanu announced that this year’s theme focuses on “The Advancement of Creative Freedom Under the Barrow Administration since 2017.”
In explaining the motivation for this year’s theme, Sankanu stated that proceeding with CIFF is essential, as film festivals are a crucial pillar of every serious film industry.
According to Sankanu, creative freedom in the Gambia has been thriving since 2017 as talented Gambians continue to make songs and videos on various critical issues without undue restrictions from the State. “The enrollments of students for media-related courses both at UTG, where I teach and at the various Technical and Vocational Training Centers (TVETs) are impressively rising,” he said.
He further mentioned that since 2015, his production house, Sanxaanu Kaggoro Film Kaffo (SANXAAFI), has been complementarily building the capacities of Gambian audiovisual talents through co-curricular activities in theory and practice.
He added that the Cinekambiya Film Festival is an international standard platform for exposing home-grown talents.
“The UTG School of Journalism and Digital Media introduced Film Studies as an academic discipline during the time of founding Dean Nana Grey-Johnson in fulfillment of the school’s digital media mandate, and Mr. Sankanu has been pivotal in lecturing Film Studies and coordinating media development projects since 2019. After 5 years of imparting relevant knowledge to the enrolled youths, the mentees are celebrated with the “CinekmabiyaYoung Talents” component of CIFF featuring films made by students and other young professionals. “he explained.
In addition, he said that the 5th Chinkemabiya International Film Festival (CIFF) would screen films made by Gambians and program entries from The Gambia, Senegal, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Togo, Benin, Egypt, France, Germany, France, and others.
“Having the UTG School of Journalism and Digital Media as a reliable hosting partner, the Cinekambiya International Film Festival (CIFF) envisages stability for programming sequent editions with captivating themes and mesmerizing films from The Gambia and the rest of the world,” he said.
Mr. Sankanu, who is also the current President of the Film Producers Association of The Gambia (FPAG), revealed that the devastating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially the restrictions on public gatherings, compelled his organization, SANXAAFI, to take a long break from film festivals after the 4th edition and re-strategize.
Aja Fatou Drammeh, a final-year student pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Journalism and Digital Media at SJDM, recently completed an internship at the 11th Emergence Film Festival in Togo. She expressed her enthusiasm for the re-launch of the prestigious Cinekambiya International Film Festival.
“After four years of thoroughly studying film under the mentorship of Prince Sankanu, I cannot wait to present our senior film projects to audiences. We invite everyone to come and watch our films at the UTG Kanifing campus during the festival and encourage the youths in the audiovisual sector. We add value to our national creative economy and The Gambia’s cultural diplomacy. Like the STEM courses, the Creative Arts are globally relevant, particularly regarding employment creation.” She said.
Founded in 2015, the Cinekambiya International Film Festival (CIFF) is a modern promotional platform celebrating authentic films. The festival is organized every December by the Sanxaanu Kaggoro Film Kaffo (SANXAAFI), a member of the Federation of Pan African Filmmakers (FEPACI). Additionally, CIFF is part of the Pan African Federation of Film and Audiovisual Festivals.
