press release october 2010
(< Return to Press Releases)Yetnayet Bahru, “Ethiopia’s Filmmaking Princess,” will Receive Emerging Filmmaker Award at First Silicon Valley African Film Festival
Film screening (4 pm), conversation with filmmaker Bahru, and awards ceremony conclude SVAFF at CSMA on Sun, Oct 24.
(Mountain View, CA) On Sunday, October 24, the two-day Silicon Valley African Film Festival (SVAFF) at the Community School of Music and Arts (CSMA) will conclude with recognition of filmmaker Yetnayet Bahru, known as “Ethiopia’s Filmmaking Princess” in her native land. Her film, Aldewolem / He Didn’t Call, will screen as the closing film of the festival at 4 pm, with Ms. Bahru in attendance for a post-screening dialogue, concluding at 6:30 pm.
Ms. Bahru has been selected by festival producers to receive the event’s inaugural “Emerging Filmmaker Award” in recognition of her proven excellence and commitment to the art of film and her undisputed status as one of Africa’s rising filmmaking stars. “The 2010 SVAFF is proud of Ms. Bahru’s accomplishment and her unique ability to uplift and project Africa through her lens,” said festival director Chike Nwoffiah. The closing/award ceremony will begin at 7 pm.
In 2009, at the age of 23, Ms. Bahru wrote, directed and produced her first feature film Aldewolem / He Didn’t Call without any formal training in film. Ms. Bahru ventured into filmmaking because, as she says, “It will be a vehicle for positive change.” Her work immediately caught the attention of film enthusiasts for its honesty and artistic style and soon Ms. Bahru found herself on the film festival circuit and nominations poured in. In 2009 she became the youngest and first female filmmaker to be nominated in four categories, including best director and best writer, at the Ethiopia International Film Festival and to win “Best in Competition.”
Ms. Bahru is a Computer Science graduate from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology. Following her success with her first film, she was offered a scholarship to study at the Imagine Film Institute in Burkina Faso. At Imagine, Bahru worked with and received mentoring from great filmmakers like Gaston Kabore, John Lvoff, Fernand Damsereau, and Bertrand Lenclos. She has since produced and directed several music videos, short films and newsreels for television. Ms. Bahru continues to study and work and is currently in pre-production for her next feature film.
Set in modern-day Ethiopia, Aldelwolem / He Didn’t Call is a fun and fresh look at life through the eyes of Africa’s generation X. The film is a romantic comedy about the games that young, single, city-dwelling young women and men play. It is Valentine’s weekend and some girlfriends who are up to some mischief decide to play a practical joke of one of the boys in the neighborhood. When one of them agrees to be part of the telephone practical joke on the young man, she unwittingly opens her heart to love that she never knew was possible. The film (G; 108 min) is in Ahmaric with English subtitles.
The first-ever Silicon Valley African Film Festival (SVAFF), held at CSMA on Sat-Sun, Oct 23-24, 2010, will showcase 30 films from 16 countries, taking audiences of all ages across the continent, presenting a mix of feature films, shorts and animations from Africa’s seasoned and emerging first-voice filmmakers.
Presented by Oriki Theater in partnership with CSMA, film screenings will be held throughout the two-days, beginning daily at 11 am. Additional event highlights include an opening ceremony, with a “Parade of Nations,” and mixer, drumming and dance performances, workshops, panel discussions, post screening talks with filmmakers, the special closing awards ceremony honoring Ethiopian filmmaker Yetnayet Bahru, age 25, and more. In recognition of the festival, Mountain View City council members and other officials will be attending the opening ceremony, at which time council members will present a proclamation declaring the 2-day event as “Silicon Valley African Film Festival Weekend” in the City of Mountain View.
“The festival's mission is to promote an understanding and appreciation of Africa and Africans through moving images,” says film festival director Chike C. Nwoffiah of Oriki Theater. “In line with Oriki Theater's mission of Sharing Africa with our community, we are honored to offer an African film festival that enriches our cultural landscape. It is a delight to partner with CSMA on this project and it is only a beginning. Given our strong partnerships and networks with filmmakers on the African continent, this festival is bound to become an annual destination film event in Silicon Valley.”
Oriki Theater is a Mountain View based nonprofit performing arts company dedicated to the promotion of Africa’s culture and heritage through a unique combination of dance, drama, music, folk stories, chants and the DRUM. From outreach programs in schools to theatrical productions and workshops, Oriki brings to our community a shared experience of Africa, its people and their way of life. For info about Oriki Theater, see www.oriki.org or call 650-968-1598
The Community School of Music and Arts (CSMA) at Finn Center, a nonprofit arts education center founded in 1968, is committed to providing Arts for All, regardless of age, level, background or economic means. Annually, the school reaches more than 40,000 people throughout the Silicon Valley region through: music, art and new media classes and camps; private lessons; in-school programs; free concerts; lectures; exhibitions; and community outreach events. In keeping with its mission to make the arts accessible to all, the school’s Financial Aid Program awards over $200,000 annually in tuition aid and program subsidies to youth and low-income families. CSMA is the largest non-profit provider of arts education programs in the region and among the top 10 schools of its kind in the United States.
The SVAFF at the Community School of Music and Arts (CSMA) at Finn Center, 230 San Antonio Circle, Mountain View, has limited free on-site and street parking. For directions and info about the school’s programs and events, see www.arts4all.org.
The festival offers a variety of ticket purchase options, ranging from $5-$30, including one- and two-day passes and single movie tickets, with student/senior discounts offered. To purchase tickets online, go to http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/125249. Depending upon availability, tickets may be purchased at the door the weekend of the event, October 23-24. For a complete daily schedule of SVAFF events, list of films (run with English subtitles, as needed), country of origin, suggested rating guideline (PG-13, G, R), screening times, and brief film descriptions, go to www.svaff.org, call 415-774-6787, or email programming@svaff.org.