By OGOVA ONDEGO. NAIROBI, KENYA (CINEMA MINIMA) — AFRICAN FOLK TALES ANIMATED, a compilation of three films and three songs made at 2nd Lola Kenya Screen in Nairobi in August 2007 has been selected for screening in Finland in March 2008.

The 5th annual Children’s and youth’s Videotivoli festival (2008 March 4-9) in Tampere, Finland,selected Lola Kenya Screen’s MANANI OGRES, LITTLE KNOWLEDGE IS DANGEROUS and THE WISE BRIDE from among 500 submissions they received from 35 nations around the world.

MANANI OGRES, a fascinating animation on the imporatance of vigilance, was created by Joseph Hongo, Marcus Joseph,Norick Joseph,and Samuel Musembi to show that drumming, music and dance must be employed where vigilance fails. Music, the short shows,has power on every living thing, including man-eating ogres.

Made by Samora Michelle, Adede Hawi NyOdero and Karama K Ogova, LITTLE KNOWLEDGE IS DANGEROUS, on the other hand, shows that one who tries to shock others by one’s clever-by-half antics, usually ends up frying oneself in one’s own oil. The message is passed through Mjinga, Juha, and Mwehu with the playful use on Kiswahili carrying the message across. This film won the Most Creative Project at Lola kenya Screen in 2007.

The message passed through THE WISE BRIDE is that when more than one suitor compete for a beautiful girl, only the girl’s ingenuity carries the day.This film with a twist in the tale was conceived and executed by Alexandria Ngini, Aysha Satchu, Layla Satchu and Flora Wanjiru.

First shown at the closing ceremony of Lola Kenya Screen on 2007 August 11 and also at KIFF in October 1, 2007, AFRICAN FOLK TALES were shown in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, in October 2007. The compilation is scheduled for screening in Denmark, Germany, Sweden, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania, among other places.

FILMS BY CHILDREN FOR CHILDREN, made by participants aged 9-15 years at the inaugural Lola Kenya Screen film production workshop in 2006, not only won the Grand Prize at the 5th World Summit on Media for Chilren and Kids for Kids Africa film festival, but was screened to great acclaim in Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Poland, Senegal, Tanzania, Germany, and Holland, among other places globally.

Meanwhile, preparation for the 3rd Lola Kenya Screen (2008 August 4-9),an annual international audiovisual media production workshop, festival and market that seeks to equip children and youth with skills to understand, appreciate, and create quality films and creative works to advance literacy, gender-equity, self-expression and global health, are undeway.

To this end, the presenters of Lola Kenya Screen are looking for children and youth who are knowledgeable, opinionated and interested in film, journalism, and cultural events’ presentation to apply for positions on her four programmes during the 3rd Lola Kenya Screen (2008 August 4-9).

Interested applicants may visist www.lolakenyascreen.or.ke and www.artmatters.info for details on how to be involved.