During the afternoons, the House of Wonders hosted 18 primary and secondary schools from across Zanzibar to watch a special ZIFF children’s programme, laying on transport from the schools to the old colonial ‘skyscraper’ where two separate rooms screened the films. There were screenings of Kirikou, the Burkinabè fairytale Ouaga Saga and the Cannes-awarded Izulu Lami, along with films from Europe, the US and Brazil. Workshops were also held in villages in the east and north-east of the island. 


On the final day of the children’s programme, several jubilant schools were invited to a special press conference in the presence of the ZIFF CEO, the culture minister and the festival’s guest of honour, Danny Glover. That evening, ten mini-animations made by a local school through a multimedia-focused NGO, Zanzibits, were screened to the public on the Old Fort’s main stage, to much acclaim. Although this addressed only a small part a much wider production challenge, it raised hopes that the festival could really inspire East African cinema and help produce child prodigies.


Besides getting involved in the dubbing of films, children were also invited to workshops hosted by the Danish Film Institute to learn the basics of film production. UNICEF, which sponsored Danny Glover’s presence at ZIFF and his role as a UNICEF ambassador visiting orphanages in East Africa, also supported an exhibition entitled ‘Don’t Exclude Me. Get to Know Me’, telling the stories of children from the Zanzibar Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS at the House of Wonders.

Back to Film: Zanzibar's festival shows the way forward