Camilla Nielssen’s ‘President’ opens iREP Film Festival 2022
By Editor
THE iREP International Documentary Film Festival will open its 12th edition with the screening of the critically acclaimed film ‘President’ by Zimbabwe’s Camilla Nielsson. The festival opens at Terra Kulture, Lagos, on Thursday, March 17, 2022 and runs till Sunday, March 20, 2022 at multiple locations including its traditional base, Freedom Park, 1 Broad Street, Lagos, and at the Art Factory hall of Crown Troupe of Africa in Bariga, Lagos, among others.
With its conceptual framework remaining faithful to ‘Africa in Self-Conversation,’ the theme for the 2022 edition is ‘Unfiltered: African Stories. Stories from Africa.’ The idea is to focus on how Africa is being represented or otherwise by filmmakers and storytellers who engage her issues.
About 70 films drawn from 28 countries cutting across four continents are featuring in the festival that has become a leading light of documentary film production and expression in West Africa, and by extension the continent of Africa.
The film ‘President’ is a riveting and epic reminder that, while specifics may differ, the fight for democracy is of universal relevance. Zimbabwe is at a crossroads. In the first election since the removal of Robert Mugabe, the new leader of the opposition Nelson Chamisa is challenging the dictator’s corrupt legacy, and his successor Emmerson ‘the crocodile’ Mnangagwa. The election will be the ultimate test for both sides. How they interpret the principles of democracy, if they can inspire trust among the citizenry, not succumb to violence, and foster faith in institutions, will set the course for the future of the country.
‘President’ has been featured in several global Film festivals, including at the Sundance Film Festival, where it was a major entry, and screened to huge applause. A statement from iREP’s programme directorate expressed excitement at presenting ‘President,’ as an important seminal and nuanced African story which not only fulfills moral and political prerequisites but also creative advancement in documentary filmmaking.
The director-producer of the film, Nielsson, will give a talk on the making of the film and will entertain questions and comments from the audience.
