The festival will also feature other forms of art, including music, fashion, and book publishing, to express the cultural diversity of Senegal and Jordan.
By Helena Olori
The Carthage Film Festival, also known as Journées cinématographiques de Carthage (JCC), is gearing up for its 34th edition set to take place from October 28th to November 4th, 2023 in Tunis, Tunisia.
Founded in 1966, the annual film festival is recognised as the oldest film festival in Africa and the Arab film industries. It was set up to celebrate the cinematic excellence, culture, and creativity of these regions.
This year, the festival will pay tributes to the diverse and thriving film industries of Senegal and Jordan.
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Senegal, chosen as the guest country of this year’s event, is a longstanding participant in the festival’s history, dating back to the first JCC “Golden Tanit” award won in 1966 by Senegalese Ousmane Sembene for his directorial debut, and Africa’s groundbreaking feature-length film, La Noire De. The festival will pay homage to Senegal’s rich cinematic heritage, and its contributions to African cinema.
Jordan, which is the subject of “Focus 2023“, will also be in the spotlight at the festival, not only for its burgeoning film industry, but also for its commitment to high-quality films and support for new talents in Arab cinema.
A collection of 10 Jordanian films will be screened in the course of the festival.
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Aside from customary competitions such as Best African and Arab feature-length, short films, documentaries, and film schools in the regions will also compete under the Cine Promesse, while films and projects in development will compete under the Carthage Pro section. There will also be four special workshops — Chabaka, Takmil, Carthage Talks, and Meet the Talents — for participating filmmakers.
The festival will also feature other forms of art, including music, fashion, and book publishing, to express the cultural diversity of Senegal and Jordan.
“The celebration of these two cinematic traditions will be accompanied by the presence of significant delegations and will feature tributes to prominent figures,” says the management in its press statement.