By Omar Wally
BLEEDING BLADE a new Gambian feature film on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) written, produced and distributed by Prince Bubacarr Aminata Sankanu, will premiere in The Gambia on September 30, 2017.
The film was shot at Gambia College Brikama Campus, Joboro Attaya Cafe and Tintinto directed by Bakary Sonko.
The film is about a young Gambian girl Sir (played by Ma Awa Barry) who sacrifice against FGM in her community.
The event will be held at the headquarters of GAMCOTRAP the Gambia’s leading civil society organization advocating for an end to FGM. It will then go on a screening tour across all communities in and out of the country where FGM is of concern.
In an interview with The Fatu Network, Prince Sankanu, the producer said he is redirecting the narrative because professional filmmakers have been missing in the FGM debates.
“We have seen countless documentaries and reports about FGM activities but we are yet to see professional cinematic sensitization work on the fight against FGM from the perspectives of the affected young women generation.”
Sankanu said FGM will add value to the on-going sensitization campaign on the relevance of anti-FGM as the practice is now underground. “My film is about generic women empowerment.”
Sankanu, who is inspired by Sembene Ousmane, the father of African cinema MOODALE (2004) film on FGM, revealed that he set himself a target of seeing at least 10 Gambian films made during the course of 2017 as part of his new wave of Gambia filmmaking.
Sankanu: During the reception I organized the Role of Filmmakers in New Gambia at the Rock Garden Apartments in Kerr Serring on February 24, 2017. “I set myself a target of having 10 new Gambia films ready for the 3rd edition of our premier annual Cinekambiya International Film Festival (CIFF) between December 25 & 30, 2017.”
I am humbled that apart from the five that I directly produced, other comrades of the New Gambia cinema have pushed the number above the benchmark of 10 features Sankanu noted.
He said the annual PAN AFRICAN SCREENS AWARD component of the film festival will take place on the December 30 to recognize excellence in filmmaking
