16:00 - 17:30
Room: Aston Webb – WG12
Stream: African Cinema Audiences
Chair/s:
Winston Mano
A Critical Survey of Exhibition Spaces of African Film Audiences in Kenya:
Rachael Diang’a
United States International University -Africa, Nairobi

Audiences are the silent, yet critical participants in the film production process. They help shape the film story from its scripting, production, postproduction and even the choice of distribution and exhibition channels. This paper brings to the fore and examines the various exhibition platforms upon which audiences in Kenya access African films. In the paper, I pay keen interest on what informs audiences choices or chances of viewing African films through these channels. By African Film, I restrict my definition to films directed by Africans on the continent and in Diaspora. This study is motivated by the fact that African filmmaking has taken an upward trend in the last two decades and that African filmmakers have made remarkable cinematic contributions at global level, with their films featuring and winning accolades in major world film festivals. Same upward trend is reflected in Kenya, where distribution and exhibition remain a major hindrance the growth of cinematic culture among (potential) audiences. This study, identifies and fills the need for scientific enquiry into the larger issue of distribution and audiences in the Kenyan film industry. On a more focused level, this study identifies, examines and documents the various spaces of exhibition of African Films in Kenya. Anchored on film reception theories, this research employs mixed methods research approach whereby both quantitative and qualitative procedures are complimentarily applied in data collection, analyses, interpretation and presentation. Findings of this research are critical in the discourses around filmmaking in Africa in the globalization era.


Reference:
Tu-A05 Cinema 1-P-003
Presenter/s:
Rachael Diang’a
Presentation type:
Panel
Room:
Aston Webb – WG12
Chair/s:
Winston Mano
Date:
Tuesday, 11 September
Time:
16:30 - 16:45
Session times:
16:00 - 17:30