DJARFOGO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Txan Film Productions & Visual Arts, an award-winning independent film and visual arts production company dedicated to responsible and culturally relevant productions representing the Pan-African Diaspora, announces the launch of its inaugural DJARFOGO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL. The 5-day international film festival will take place Tuesday, November 9 to 13, 2021, in Fogo, Cape Verde. DIFF is a nonprofit organization under the City of Los Angeles, the State of California, and Cape Verde Islands. In response to a need for cinematic courses, it was founded by Guenny K. Pires and his partners, Jeremy Gredone, Cedric O'Bannon, Vasco Pires, Guemysson Pires, and Ernesto Alves, in support of a need for courses in film studies, production, post-production, and distribution that address the lack of representation of African filmmakers and creators in traditional film programs. It incorporates an International Film Festival, Visual Arts Education, and Academic/Cultural Exchange to awaken young Africans, Cape Verdeans, particularly Foguenses, to cinematographic art, providing the unique opportunity to learn the craft of visual storytelling. DIFF focuses on cinematographic, visual media production, and live broadcasting. In addition, we provide training in film production, post-production, distribution, multiculturalism, and sustainable local development strategies. This program, promoted by a team of professionals in the fields of film production, education, culture, and the creative industries, promotes film screenings, workshops, masterclasses focused on digital cinema, and lectures related to the importance of the history and culture of Lusophone Africa focusing on the artistic, cultural potential of Cape Verde and a celebration of Fogo's history and culture. In addition, DIFF intends to promote the island of Fogo as part of the World Biosphere Reserve approved by UNESCO in 2020. We also have a sizeable cultural program and producing short films on traditional medicine, coffee, wine, music, dances, and elderly local stories. We believe that every culture has its own stories and narratives, shared as entertainment, education, cultural preservation, and enlightenment of moral values. Storytelling is the artistic expression of humanity, and each story opens a window into the community to which it belongs. DIFF intends to pay tribute to African filmmakers, scholars, and personalities by sharing human stories using the power of visual storytelling and arts to evoke positive social reform and commending living conditions for those with more poverty. The festival will bring filmmakers, distributors, T.V. program buyers, journalists, audiovisual producers, and aspiring film students across the Americas, Australia, Europe, the Caribbean Islands, French and Portuguese-speaking countries across the Pan-African Diaspora. DJARFOGO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL showcases feature-length films, documentaries, shorts, and animation. In addition, it includes film screenings, post-film conversations, workshops, masterclass, and celebration of Fogo's history and culture. Our goal is to feature film directors, producers, artists, and people interested in bringing their vision and contribution to developing the film industry in Africa, including the Canary Islands, the Caribbean Islands, and African Diaspora. DJARFOGO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL intends to promote African Cinema as it plays a social, cultural, and economic role and possesses a high creative film-specific originality, bringing a fresh jive into world cinema. It also explores distribution and co-production opportunities and international film markets such as Durban FilmMart, European Film Market, and American Film Market. With more than 530 films submitted, the event expects to screen more than 100 films and reach more than 35,000 spectators locally, and more than 200,000 people, including Cape Verdeans from the Diaspora, broadcast via live-streaming in 2021, making it one of the largest Cape Verde and C.P.L.P. film festivals. We are particularly committed to screening works by filmmakers connected to the Portuguese-speaking countries, the Caribbean, and the West Africa area; however, we screen works by filmmakers worldwide. This promotion involves the participation of local, national, and international schools, universities, television stations, filmmakers, producers, and companies operating in the areas of tourism, information, and communication technologies. To introduce and train students in all forms of filmmaking for the 'big' and 'little' screen, including documentaries, feature films, short films, programs for scripted and unscripted television, and corporate and commercial film production. Our primary goal is to connect Africa with its Diaspora by teaching a powerful program on visual storytelling and the film industry. Also, creating bonds of friendship with Cape Verde will allow for human and cultural exchanges between the various personalities and professionals present at the event. Considering the importance of promoting academic and cultural exchange experiences, we will host films, filmmakers, students, and professors from Brazil, France, Portugal, Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, Italy, Russia, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Senegal, and Sao Tome and Principe. Also, students and professors from Boston Public Schools, Leominster High School, Los Angeles City College, Mount Saint Mary's University, Sonja H. Stone Center for Black Culture and History, N.C.U. (U.S.A.), the University of Santiago, University of Cape Verde, Lusophone University, Atlantic Technical University, and the all-High Schools of Cape Verde. Txan Film Productions & Visual Arts is a Production Company under the City of Los Angeles, the State of California, and Cape Verde Islands is an independent motion picture production company assembled from creative and business entertainment industry professionals with a common goal of producing the independent film The Heart of Amilcar Cabral. The Company has been engaged in film production and visual arts education for the past sixteen years. T.F.P.V.A. is associated with over two hundred filmmakers, producers, and distributors' organizations from 57 countries worldwide, Europe, Africa, Asia, Pacific, North America, and Latin America. We produce films that portray/represent the historical and fictional stories that capture the African Diaspora's essence – primarily the West Coast of Africa, including French and Portuguese-speaking countries, islands of the Caribbean, Cape Verde Islands, and the Americas in a unique method of quality filmmaking. TXAN FILM WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE FOLLOWING D IFF PARTNERS. Padre Pio Gottin Auditorium, Casas Do Sol, E.M.E., P.B.S., Sonja H. Stone Center for Black Culture and History, NUC, Presidency of the Republic of Cape Verde, Instituto Pedro Pires, Canon Burbank, Boston Public Schools, Mount Saint Mary University/Hollywood Studios, Los Angeles City College (U.S.A.), Association of Municipalities Fogo/Brava, Angolan Investment Bank Cape Verde (B.A.I.C.V.), Girasol Gr., Hotel Santa Maria, UNESCO, C.P.L.P., Amílcar Cabral Foundation, Government of Cape Verde, Fespaco, Happy Childhood Foundation, José Maria Neves Foundation, Morabeza Intercultural Society, Lda., Cape Verde Film and Audiovisual Association, CM Praia, Isatour, Lda, Raiz di Polon, Hotel Casa Marisa, Casa Danilo Montrond, Casa Fernando, Orfeão da Praia, Aldino Cardoso, Associação Criatura, Kira's Boutique Hotel, Hotel Santos Pina, Qualitur, O.M.C.V., Zebra Travel, R.T.C., Enapor, Portos de Cabo Verde, Embassy of Cape Verde (U.S.A.,) Embassy of the U.S.A. in Cape Verde, Olof Palme International Center (Sweden), Actor, Activist, Producer Danny Glover, Marcus Garvey School, Directors Guild of America, BadWest-Black Filmmakers West, International Documentary Association, Boavista Consulting (U.S.A.), Parklight Films (Sydney, Australia), Real Ficção, Lda., Meg & Plus (Portugal) Afrykamera Festival (Poland), Nos Ku Nos Association (Austria), Locarno Film Festival (Switzerland), International Film Festival Rotterdam (Netherlands), Casa de Criação Cinema (Brazil), African Asian Latin American Film Festival, Embassy of Cape Verde (Italy.) For more information about the festival, please visit www.djarfogofilm.org.