Nigerian producer and chief executive officer of the African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA), Peace Anyiam-Fiberesima, is on the international jury for Short Film Competition at this year's Berlin International Film Festival, which runs from February 8 to 18 in Germany.
Estonian producer, Riina Sildos, and Chinese director, Ning Ying, are also on the jury.
Also called the Berlinale (in reference to the Biennale at Venice), it is one of the world's most prestigious film festivals. It is the film festival with most visitors worldwide.
It is held annually in February (in 2006 it ran from February 9 to 19) and has been held since 1951. The jury places special emphasis on representing films from all over the world. The awards are called the Golden and Silver Bears (the Bear is the symbol of Berlin).
The premieres are held in the Berlinale Palast located at Marlene-Dietrich-Platz 1.
Anyiam-Fiberesima founded the African Academy, which presents all the main African film awards, and serves as president of the African Movie Academy Awards. It is held annually in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, and has attracted Danny Glover, Vivica Fox and Miriam Makeba, among others, to the Niger Delta.
She has also produced such films as Blind Date and Fear Of The Unknown.
Sildos began her career as a film critic, later becoming co-founder of the International Film Festival in Tallinn in 1998 and managing director of the Estonian Film Foundation from 2000 to 2003. Now a freelance producer, she has worked on the documentary, Wounds of Afghanistan as well as the first Baltic animated feature film, Lotte From Gadgetville, the latter of which is being shown in this year's Generation section.
Ning's works include Perpetual Motion, her most recent work, as well as Love Beijing, the final part of a trilogy about people in her home city, which screened in the Berlinale's Forum section in 2001. Ning won the Grand Prix du Cinema du Reel in Paris for her 2002 documentary, Railroad Of Hope, which also screened in Berlin's Forum section.
Festival organisers have merged the short film selections of the main competition and the panorama sections into one Short Film Competition in order to focus greater attention on short works.
"We believe the short film to be an important art form in itself and intend to underline this with the new structure," said Berlinale Director, Dieter Kosslick. "This year's selection stands out due to its impressive variety of forms and genres: from political documentaries through laconic comedies to clever satires, everything is represented."
The jury will present the Short Film winners with the Golden Bear, the Silver Bear, the Prix UIP and a three-month Berlin DAAD scholarship at the special award ceremony on February 13 at the Kino International.
Meanwhile, the forum sidebar is for the second year expanding its scope to include video art and experimental and underground films.
Forum Expanded will present films, videos and installations in various locations in Berlin, including the Arsenal cinema and Black Box set up in the Atrium of the Filmhaus at Potsdamer Platz as well as in Buro Friedrich, the Hamburger Bahnhof — Museum fur Gegenwart, and in the Marshall McLuhan Salon of the Canadian Embassy.
Lawyer, poet, publisher and executive producer/producer, Peace, has used her worldwide contacts to give AMAA a cutting edge by attracting the brightest and best in all departments. Her vast experience in motion picture production and marketing stands her out as someone to beat. Little wonder organisers of the Berlinale found her eminently qualified to serve as judge.
