THE Zimbabwe International Film Festival Trust (ZIFFT) has announced that it will not host its annual 10-day festival this year, citing financial constraints.
Traditionally held in August or September, the Zimbabwe International Film Festival (ZIFF) has served as a premier platform for filmmakers since its inception in 1998. However, this year’s edition has been cancelled, with the organisers opting for alternative programming to continue engaging audiences.
ZIFF Programmes Director, Mr Kuda Bwititi, said the organisation has launched community outreach initiatives to bridge the gap left by the cancellation.
“For this year we are not having the big annual festival due to matters of resource mobilisation. So we have a programme that we will be running this year, which is ‘Outreach To Educate’, where we will go into communities with selected films that were submitted to the festival. Currently, we are doing screenings in Chitungwiza and Harare’s CBD every month. These are outreach programmes aimed at engaging directly with audiences and for skills development within the film community,” he said.
Bwititi noted the growth of online productions in the country, “We have seen growth in terms of productions in Zimbabwe, unfortunately with cinema productions there has been a decline and this is due to filmmakers opting to distribute their films online. However, generally, there is an increase in productions almost every week, mainly in Harare and Bulawayo.”
The Zimbabwe International Film Festival was established in 1998 to celebrate cultural and artistic expression, with filmmakers using the platform every year to showcase a diverse array of films that reflect the rich heritage, contemporary struggles, and vibrant futures of African nations.
