Zanzibar's children meet The Great Bear

FESTIVAL. Esben Toft Jacobsen's Nordic fantasy tale "The Great Bear" is one of ten Danish films at Zanzibar International Film Festival, East Africa's largest film, music and arts event. The festival's children's programme is created in collaboration with the Danish Film Institute.

The East African island is host this week to the 14th edition of the Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF). The festival expects around 2000 children from 20 local schools to attend screenings in the Children & Film Panorama, a section created by ZIFF in collaboration with the Danish Film Institute.

This year's children and youth programme includes films from Algeria, Chile, Denmark, Kenya and Germany. Among the ten Danish films is "The Great Bear", Esben Toft Jacobsen's animated fairy tale infused with an atmosphere of Nordic magic in a setting of vast pine forests and chilly lakes.

Facts

Danish films at Zanzibar International Film Festival 2011

Lost in Africa
The Great Bear
A Tale of Two Mozzies
The Fantastic 3
Jensen Lives Here
Lauge's Cat
Little Daddy
Crybaby
Frederikke
Tigers & Tattoos

DFI i East Africa

In addition to collaborating with Zanzibar International Film Festival the Danish Film Institute is also involved in a project in Uganda.

Youth & Film Uganda is the title of a three-year culture programme aiming to bring young Ugandans between ages 13 and 19 closer to the world of cinema.

The initiative, created in collaboration with the Danish Center of Culture and Development, the Danish Embassy and The Maisha Foundation in Uganda, combines mobile cinemas, film festivals, master classes for film professionals, and teaching in film production.
 

Also on show is Vibeke Muasya's "Lost in Africa" with Connie Nielsen as the distressed mother of adopted Simon who gets lost in his country of origin Kenya. Last month the film was bought for African distribution and will be released throughout the continent in July.

Zanzibar International Film Festival 18-26 June 2011