The African-European Distribution Academy (AEDA) has announced the winners of its film distribution awards, with startups from Kenya, Ethiopia, and Rwanda emerging victorious. “Boom! We have four winners!” the body announced on its LinkedIn page.
The African-European Distribution Academy is a training programme designed to support the establishment of film distribution companies in Africa. Conceived by Neue Visionen Filmverleih, AEDA is backed by a coalition of stakeholders in Germany’s film and culture industry.
According to the post, the winners of the awards include Chloe Genga, an impact producer and distribution manager at Kenya-based LBx Africa; Ceke Mathenge, a film producer and curator based in Rwanda; Winnie Adeya, a marketer and distributor from Kenya; Cynthia Munio, a director and producer from Kenya; Aaron Kassaye, a creative entrepreneur based in Ethiopia; and Semagngeta Aychiluhem, a writer, director and producer from Ethiopia.
The AEDA congratulated the winners on their achievement, expressing confidence that the funding will provide a significant boost to their endeavours and the African film industry as a whole. It said: “We are confident that this will give your endeavours much tailwind and will be a boost in the African film industry!”
It added in the LinkedIn post that the “awards are at 2x 20,000 EUR and 2x 10,000 EUR, consisting each of 50% cash and 50% vouchers from industry partners.”
The AEDA awards aim to support innovative film distribution startups in Africa, providing them with the necessary resources and expertise to succeed in the competitive film industry. Neue Visionen Filmverleih, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, Gofilex, European Film Market, and Rwanda Media Project all provided support.
AEDA’s supporters include Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, MOIN Filmförderung Hamburg Schleswig Holstein, Filmfest Cologne, Filmfest Hamburg, AG Verleih, and EWIP (European Work in Progress).
