Impala - African Documentary Cinema

For a decade, more and more documentary films produced in French-speaking Africa have been circulating in major international festivals, broadcast on television or distributed in theaters. Many filmmakers living on the continent are contributing to this growth and aspire to produce and direct films about their own realities. However, the professional network remains fragile and films still circulate poorly from one country to another.

Based on this observation and drawing on their respective experiences in the region, Ateliers Varan and Docmonde have joined forces with 11 local partners in 11 French-speaking African countries to initiate an ambitious three-year program in 2021: the IMPALA project.

In its first phase (2021-2024), the program will be deployed in 7 French-speaking countries in West Africa - Senegal, Mali, Ivory Coast, Niger, Burkina Faso and Togo - and 5 French-speaking countries in Central Africa - Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon.

It has 4 components:

• The creation of a catalog of African documentary films, the strengthening of local partners and the establishment of a transnational film distribution network.
• The organization of practical training workshops in the production and editing of short documentary films.
• The organization of writing/project development workshops for feature-length documentary films and the support of young producers and authors.
• The organization of international co-production meetings.

IMPALA thus aims to support the development of documentary cinema in French-speaking Africa by strengthening the distribution of creative and impactful works, by promoting the professionalization of actors and the access of new films to the international market.

Our partners in Central Africa: ARDC - Association of Cameroonian Documentary Filmmakers, Cinéma Numérique Ambulant Centrafrique, 3C - Club des Cinéastes du Congo, Association of Congolese Women Filmmakers, Gabon Ciné Doc.

Our partners in West Africa: Africadoc Côte d'Ivoire, 2AB - Association Africadoc Burkina, Cinéma Numérique Ambulant Sénégal, Diasoba Mali, Association Togolaise du Cinéma Numérique Ambulant, Culture Plus Niger.

IMPALA is supported by the AFD - French Development Agency, UNESCO, the ACP-EU Culture program, the Ile-de-France Region, the French Institute, the City of Paris and Fonsic.

Find all the latest news about the project on the IMPALA Facebook page.