TIPTOPSTARS

The seventh art has particularly been favourable to women. Whenever they have gone behind the camera or scenes, the result has been an excellent piece of work. Observers have found the reason for this success in the meticulous nature in which women handle every job. In short, they hate failure, so would take their time to do any job.

Increasingly, women are getting into film making, either as directors or producers. Some of them have moved from the movie set and sought for more challenging aspects of production. This has resulted in a regular flow of women made movies into the film market, of late.

This phenomenon has not gone unnoticed. Women have either been encouraged to keep the flame burning by the financing of huge film projects or recognized for their works via festivals/awards organized in their honour.

One of such projects to pay tribute to female film makers is the Mis Me Binga, otherwise known as the Women’s International Film festival. Created in 2010, the Mis Me Binga International Film Festival is a now fast-running cinema event aimed at promoting female film makers and their productions. It is an occasion for these film makers to come together, share their experiences, bring their problems to the table, deliberate on them and seek lasting solutions.

The third edition of the festival comes up this March and will run from the 7^th to the 11^th. According to the coordinator of Mis Me Binga Evodie Ngueyeli, 35 films produced or directed by women have been selected for the festival, from the 235 submitted. Among the films selected for projections are 10 from Cameroon, TIPTOPSTARS was told. “These films will be projected and scrutinized during the week. The best ones, for those in competition, and their directors will be rewarded,” Ngueyeli told TIPTOPSTARS Editor.

Itambi Delphine

As highlight of the festival, training sessions will take place in workshops and conferences. Some of this discussion will focus on how women can successful thrive in entrepreneurship through cinema, as the theme of this year’s edition holds.

To throw more light on this year’s edition of Mis Me Binga, there will be a press conference, taking place at the Bastos Yaounde premises of the German Cultural Centre, Geothe-Institut on 2 March 2012.

For the two past editions, Mis Me Binga has had films done by women from Sub Saharan and Malgrebian Africa, Dominican Island, South America, Europe, Canada, USA and Asia. The festival is hugely supported by the German Cultural Centre, Goethe-Institute, the Cameroonian Ministry of Cultural, other organizations and the media.

Examples of female film makers and the productions include Josephine Ndangnou (Paris a Tout Prix), Naah Joyce (Rape), Sunjo Petra (Bongfen), Ayi Chatou Inoua (Royal Destiny), Itambi Delphine (A Woman’s World), Ariane Astrid Atodji (Kondi et le Jeudi Nationala), Ngassa Nina (Vanity Fair), Taka Tanni (Deep Sea Diving) and Caught Within (Quiniva Dinga).