The festival featured five diff erent films and two local short films
GOSEGO MOTSUMI
In a refreshing turn of events, the Alliance Française of Gaborone and the delegation of the European Union to Botswana and SADC staged the first ever European Film Festival in the tourist town of Maun in collaboration with local poetry movement, Poetavango. The Maun edition was running concurrent with the Gaborone EU Film Fest edition that kick-started at New Capitol Cinemas, Riverwalk last week. The free festival was held under the theme ‘Family’ and featured five different films and two local short films.
“This year’s theme is family which is the glue that binds societies together,” said the European Union Deputy Ambassador Silvia Bopp-Hamrouni at the festival opening night in Gaborone.
“The pandemic disrupted life as we knew it, many people lost their loved ones, others had to carry extra burdens while many found themselves unable to provide. Gender Based Violence increased and with all these negative effects the pandemic brought families together. This year we are happy to extend the film experience beyond Gaborone to Maun.”
The fourth edition of the film festival kicked off with the screening of French drama, ‘Her Job’ which is a thought provoking and motivational film that chronicles the story of 37-year-old illiterate Panayiota who was trapped by domestic violence which prevented her from achieving independence.
Another screened film, ‘Romy’s Salon’ allowed audiences to see the different relations and bonds between women of the same family across generations and the challenges that come with that. Children were also catered for with the exciting animated movie ‘The Son of Bigfoot’. The film festival also featured local short films ‘Dithunya Tsa Rona’ and ‘Ka Nswazwi’.
“The films will allow us to explore the theme of family from different backgrounds and angles. Through the European Film Festival, we hope to share stories that tackle issues we all face and inspire us to strive towards our vision for a better future,” said Bopp-Hamrouni.
The first edition of the EU film fest in 2018 explored the theme of Women, Stigmatization in 2019 and Nature and the Environment in 2021. The screenings showcased movies every evening from last week Wednesday until Saturday 7th May 2022.