Fespaco

Photographs by Andrea Frazzetta

In late February, a month before violent protests by the military in

Burkina Faso prompted President Blaise Compaore to dissolve his

government, an enthusiastic crowd swarmed Place des Cinéastes in the

capital city, Ouagadougou, as well as a dozen other sites, as part of

Fespaco 2011, the Pan-African Film and Television Festival that honors

contributions to African cinema. The biannual "African Cannes"

attracted nearly 8,000 attendees, according to Michel Ouedraogo, the

festival's organizer. Many packed the city's soccer stadium, but

others, in small villages like Pitmoaga, 30 miles west of the capital,

were able to watch movies on temporary screens. And for a few hours on

each of the festival's eight days, it provided a welcome respite from

reality.

NUMBER OF FILMS IN COMPETITION: 111 (including 18 feature films and 22 documentaries)

COST OF PRODUCING FESTIVAL: $1.4 million

PORTION OF THAT COST PAID FOR BY BURKINA FASO'S GOVERNMENT: 60 percent

CASH PRIZE GIVEN FOR ÉTALON DE YENNENGA, THE TOP AWARD: 10 million CFA ($21,350)

NUMBER OF MEDIA CREDENTIALS DISTRIBUTED: 226

AWARDS GIVEN: 29

–Tony Gervino

Slideshow at The New York Times.