The second edition of the Sya Cinematographic Meetings (RECIS) starts this Wednesday, November 8 at the Monseigneur Anselme Titianma SANON House of Culture. This film festival wants to make the city of Bobo-Dioulasso the second showcase of Burkina cinema. A few hours before this event whose theme is “cinema and construction of a memory and an identity”, L’Express du Faso met the President of the organizing committee Nouhoun THANOU who answered questions from the editorial staff.
Can we say that everything is ready for the second edition of RECIS?
Yes, everything is ready for the normal running of the RECIS 2023 program. Since the launch of the media campaign on October 5 here in Bobo-Dioulasso, all the commissions have been installed and got to work with satisfaction. In terms of communication, the TV5 Monde channel began broadcasting our TV spot the day after the press conference. All communication materials are ready and are being placed or distributed.
The outdoor screening sites are being developed and local audiences will be made aware of them with a view to strong participation. At the Maison de la culture Anselme Titianma SANON, everything is ready. The Madou KONE room will host the symposium from Wednesday, November 8 at 9:00 a.m. The same applies to the workshops, the Master Class, the information meetings and the opening ceremony. The large Sotigui Kouyaté hall will host the opening ceremony and film screenings. During this time the jury will be seated in a quiet place where it can work in complete peace of mind to deliver its verdict at the appropriate time.
What will be special about it to keep festival-goers in suspense?
In terms of intellectual production, the RECIS-Academies offer a framework for exchanges on rare themes of great relevance for the city of Sya and the Hauts-Bassins region. They will take place through the symposium on the importance of archives in the construction of a collective memory, the two workshops on the digitization, restoration and conservation of audiovisual archives and finally the Master Class on the need for the creation of a museum of photography, cinema and audiovisual. As you can see, the themes that will be developed are in themselves a particularity in the cinema environment.
Last year, due to the uncertain security situation, we gave up outdoor screenings. This time there will be and we have received authorization from certain municipal authorities. We plan to carry out some in the university campus of Nazi BONI University and on the campus of Aube Nouvelle University. Another particularity, all screenings of films in competition will take place in the Sotigui Kouyaté room of the Maison de la culture. Whether it is the RECIS-Académie or the film screenings, entry is completely free and students who register and demonstrate attendance at the RECIS-Académie led by Dr. Ignace SANGARE will benefit from a certificate of participation.
How many works are in competition and come from how many countries?
The selection and viewing committee recorded around sixty films from around fifteen countries such as Mali, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Togo, Benin, Congo Brazzaville, Cameroon, South Africa. South, Cape Verde, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Central Africa, France, the United States and Burkina Faso. So, the international character of our festival is a reality that must be discovered. Better this year we are expecting the participation of all Burkinabè filmmakers whose films are in competition as well as those from Mali. Others have been announced, but we are awaiting final confirmation.
What conclusions can we draw from the first edition?
The first edition was satisfactory in every way. She had recorded more films than this year. There were more than 5,500 participants at the Maison de la culture. Some 16 trophies called “golden catfish” were awarded as well as a few honorary trophies to personalities who support cinema and also our festival. The first edition took place in December. For the second edition, we chose the month of November on the advice of the local authorities. A first edition is always a leap into the unknown. Some people thought it would never happen. This is why I would like to thank once again all those who believed in the project and supported us with sincerity.
Our sponsor Al-Hassane SIENOU, the co-sponsor Mgr Anselme Titianma SANON, the Minister in charge of Culture, Emmanuel Ouédraogo, the former governor of Hauts-Bassins, Colonel Moussa DIALLO whose contribution was decisive. I will also cite the customary and religious authorities whose blessings have accompanied us. And then this wonderful audience from Bobo-Dioulasso who believed in the project and encouraged us to move forward. I have not forgotten the local press without which we would not have had visibility. Let her be thanked and we need everyone to grow and give a real foundation to the Sya Cinematographic Meetings.
Thank you !
Abdoul Etienne SANON
