The Ladima Foundation, in partnership with the DW Akademie, is excited to announce a short-film competition aimed at African women during the world-altering Covid-19 pandemic and related lockdown.
The competition is open to African women content creators and filmmakers of any age or experience level, currently living in Africa. The competition aims to encourage women to share their stories as we create a living document of a time and place – of the specific circumstances that women in Africa currently find themselves, under various degrees of lock-down, through the limitations on movement, opportunity, and often, basic freedoms.
The impact of Covid-19 across the globe, and especially in Africa, is felt more by the vulnerable in society. In many African countries women’s opportunities and access to opportunities are limited, and the economic and social impact of Covid-19 is, in many cases, impacting women harder and in different ways than their male counterparts. There are issues affecting woman such as domestic violence, altered access to opportunities, increased burden of care, and many others.
This film competition invites women to share these experiences – be they challenging, positive or simply questioning. The stories should be honest, personal, and specifically related to the current COVID-19 situation. Entries across genres are welcome, from animation and fiction, to documentary or interview style – just as long as the content is 2 minutes or shorter.
Entry is FREE and women will need to register on the Ladima Foundation’s newly revamped A-List in order to enter: https://ladima.africa/film-competition/
Ten winning films will be selected by a jury and then streamed on the Ladima website along with other partner websites. Each winning filmmaker will also receive 500 EURO as well as access to a year’s worth of educational and inspirational webinars on the USA’s Women Make Movies platform, https://www.wmm.com/,valued at approximately $500.
Selection & Judging Criteria:
Any woman currently living in Africa may enter. In order to enter you must register on the A-List:
Competition opens at 9am Monday, June 1st 2020 and entries must be received by midnight GMT + 2 on Sunday June 21st 2020.
Full terms and conditions are on the Ladima website.
The films must be under 2 minutes and must focus on the following themes through an inspirational, educational, personal, or leadership lens :
- Women with special needs / Coping with special needs during the Lockdown / Caring for
Persons with special needs during a global pandemic - Impact on family / domestic life
- Economic / impact on work life
- Domestic violence / abuse in the time of Covid-19
- Hope in the time of Covid-19
- Are women paying a higher price?
- How does the crisis highlight and affect the role of women?
- The crisis as a kick to rethink the social order
- Solidarity and empowerment among women in times of Covid -19
The films will be judged on the following criteria:
● THEME Connection and relevance to the themes above
● STORY Concept
Story has a clear message and a unique storyline
Originality of story and / or approach
Rich and vibrant storytelling that engages, amuses or provokes the viewer
● QUALITY OF PRODUCTION
Best use of technology
Technical aspects such as lighting, sound etc.
● CREATIVITY Original and captivating
Imaginative writing and directing
Presents the theme in an interesting way
● EMOTIONAL IMPACT/AUDIENCE APPEAL
Visually appealing and entertaining
Affects the audience through eliciting an emotional response
Creates a lasting impression
● STRUCTURE Images / elements are arranged logically in a way that fits the purpose of the
film
About the Ladima Foundation
The Ladima Foundation is a Pan-African non-profit organisation founded with the aim of contributing
to correcting the major imbalances within the film, TV and content industries.
The Ladima Foundation supports and recognises African women in Film, TV and Content. Through
training and networking programmes, we uplift, connect and include. Ladima operates in the spirit of
positivity, excellence and integrity.
Through a number of initiatives, The Ladima Foundation supports, trains, and mentors women in a
variety of roles within the film, TV, and content spaces.
Through partnerships and collaborations in various countries, as well as through Pan-African networks
and interventions, the Ladima Foundation is committed to developing training, networking, and
related opportunities for women professionals who demonstrate their seriousness and commitment
to their craft. www.ladima.africa
About DW Akademie
DW Akademie is Deutsche Welle’s center for international media development. As a strategic partner
of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), DW Akademie carries out
media development projects that strengthen the human right to freedom of opinion and promote
free access to information. DW Akademie also works on projects funded by the German Foreign Office
and the European Union – in approximately 50 developing and emerging countries.