The iamAFRICA Short Film Competition is a collaborative initiative produced by N2U Creative Marketing Group,  between the Pan African Film Festival (PAFF), The Africa Narrative at the University of Southern California Norman Lear Center, and YouTube.

 

The initiative was launched to propel African content creators and their work into the mainstream consciousness of American and international audiences, who are all too often, exposed to media narratives of Africa that are widely distorted and shaped by non-Africans.

 

According to a landmark 2019 study conducted by the Norman Lear Center, mentions of Africa and Africans appear infrequently in US news and entertainment, and when they do, are often negative and stereotyped.

 

At the same time, YouTube’s global platform has empowered content creators on the continent to revolutionize and expand the possibilities of video storytelling while reflecting a truer and more balanced perspective of the region. With this initiative, PAFF aims to further its mission to elevate the profile of innovative content creators who are defining the current landscape of African filmmaking.

 

The Award

Filmmakers selected by a special jury will be given an extraordinary opportunity to embark on an all-expense paid trip to Los Angeles, CA to attend the 28th Annual Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles in February 2020. While in California, winners will be the VIP guests of both the Pan African Film Festival and YouTube and will attend a variety of public and private events that showcase and promote their talents, including a public screening of each winning entry.

 

An Audience Award will also be given to the semifinalist film that receives the most votes from the online public.

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The highlights for this competition were as follows:

 

• The PAFF YouTube Channel received over 17, 500 views since the competition began.

• Our audience watched over 1,100 hours of content (remember these were shorts).

• We received over 105K impressions.

• Based on the Geography report, we received viewership from the 22 of the following countries:

  • South Africa - 2,780

  • Nigeria - 1,505

  • Sudan - 1,359

  • United States - 1,273

  • Germany - 226

  • United Kingdom - 220

  • Kenya - 182

  • Ghana - 172

  • Saudi Arabia - 171

  • India - 133

  • Botswana - 130

  • United Arab Emirates - 75

  • Italy - 55

  • Malawi - 39

  • Qatar - 37

  • Netherlands - 18

  • Russia - 17 - 

  • Gabon - 12

  • Indonesia - 12

  • Tanzania - 12 

  • Uganda - 12

  • Djibouti - 10