International Documentary and Filmmaking E-Summit – 2020

INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY & FILMMAKING E-SUMMIT

Storytelling is an essential element that relives and preserves human experiences and history. The International Documentary & Filmmaking E-Summit has been birthed as a global platform for filmmakers, storytellers, journalists, documentarians both renowned and upcoming to interact and grow their craft and impact their audience.

IDFS is an initiative of the African International Documentary Festival: a festival (with its headquarters in the United States and Africa) that promotes and supports storytellers and documentarians of African descent covering Africa, Caribbean, Europe, North and South America. We are one of a few international organizations in the world seeking to unite the globe with authentic storytelling.

The international Documentary and Filmmaking E-Summit is designed to integrate world renowned storytellers and broadcasters to address and initiate new ideas and agendas that will ensure fresh techniques for filmmakers to enable them tell their stories in a robust approach during crisis times. This Summit creates new standards, techniques, mentorship and partnership to be observed in storytelling.

The theme for this years summit is “Storytelling in Times of Crisis”. This theme aligns with our objectives that aims at protecting, educating, mentoring, and creating authentic stories that is geared towards transforming lives, healing, empowerment and encouragement in times of crisis.

This year’s summit will have speakers from Hollywood, Nollywood, International broadcasters and owners of very successful Film Festivals, International media outfits, Filmmakers, Actors, and international content aggregators such as, Janice Marie Collins Ph.D(USA), Benjamin Ubiri(Nigeria), Pochi Tamba Nsoh(Cameroon), Dan Akiolu(South Africa), Joseph Opala(USA), Oliver Litondo(Kenya), Pheabean Randall(Sierra Leone), Lisa Gualtieri(USA), Korstiaan Vandiver(USA), Julia Buur(Denmark), Joe Kent(USA), Emeka Rollas(Nigeria), Dr. Tunji Asaolu(Nigeria), Dr. Alistair Soyode(UK), Thabiso Maretlwaneng(Bostwana), Raul Sanchez(USA), Angela Robinson(USA) and Myra Smith(USA).

Objectives

• Advance dialogue and shared cultural connections.
• Reaching younger, underserved audiences through various engagement activities during the summit.
• Showcasing filmmaking, storytelling and empower emerging filmmakers in foreign countries.
• Create lasting connections with expert-award winning storytellers and emerging filmmakers and IDFS participants through unique collaborative program activities.
• Foster creative space for foreign filmmakers, students and community groups to share their own artistic traditions, specifically through film and other story telling forms.
• Enhancing global competitiveness by sharing expertise and incubating creative markets.
• Creating new standards and techniques to be followed by storytellers in times of crisis.
• Launch a global documentary competition on Covid-19: Beyond the Lockdown
• To showcase the strength of storytelling between people of African descent irrespective of geographical location (continent).
• Planning for a new generation of storytellers.

As a result of the current global challenges caused by the Covid -19 Pandemic, our industry like many others have been affected. Our resolve is to ensure the sustenance of our industry by introducing new techniques from an international array of experts that will inspire trends that will be help storytelling in a Crisis time. This year due to the Covid19-crisis, we are giving the filmmaking industry an exclusive opportunity to share knowledge & experiences in the form of a Virtual Conference that will be held via Zoom and will be recorded for television broadcast purpose.