The 29th edition of the Pan-African Film and Television Festival (Fespaco) in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, highlighted African cinema’s evolving role in shaping the continent’s identity and global narrative. Held under the theme “African Cinema and Cultural Identities,” the festival showcased 235 films from 48 countries, selected from over 1,500 submissions.
Burkinabé filmmaker Dani Kouyaté won the prestigious Étalon d’Or de Yennenga for Katanga – La Danse des Scorpions, a political drama inspired by Macbeth. Chad was the festival’s guest country, with its president, Mahamat Idriss Déby, and Burkina Faso’s leader, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, emphasizing shared cultural ties between their nations.
Fespaco reaffirmed cinema as a tool for self-expression and emancipation, moving away from Western influences that once dominated African storytelling. Experts like Serge Bayala view the festival as a platform to