About the Festival

The Africa World Documentary Film Festival (AWDFF) is sponsored by the E. Desmond Lee Professorship in African/African American Studies, Studies International studies and Program, and University of Missouri-St. Louis.

The AWDFF has as its objective the promotion of knowledge and culture of the people of Africa, in a Pan-African context.

In promotion of the Pan African context, public viewings of submission accepted by AWDFF shall also occur in Africa, Europe and the Caribbean.

Though the AWDFF is non-competitive, prizes of $1,000 and $500 shall be awarded to two documentaries in Full-length and Short categories, respectively judged by the AWDFF committee as furthering understanding and contributing significantly to knowledge of the African World.

Director’s 2013 Festival Message

Greetings:

Welcome to the 6th E. Desmond Lee Africa World Documentary Film Festival (AWDFF), sponsored by the E. Desmond Lee Professorship in African/African-American Studies, International Studies and Programs at the University of Missouri, Saint Louis.

Through the art of documentary filmmaking, the AWDFF is committed to the promotion of knowledge, life and culture, of the people of Africa worldwide.   This year, in our sixth season, we shall be presenting 46 films submitted by filmmakers from Australia, Bahamas, Burkina Faso, Canada, Cameroon, Congo, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominican Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Ghana, Israel, Japan, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, South Sudan, Spain, Sudan, United Kingdom, Uganda, and USA. 

We celebrate and congratulate the extraordinary group of talented filmmakers who have employed their craft and skills in the exploration of African subjects.  Some of the major subjects covered in these documentary films are Culture, Socio-Economic, Environment, History, Gender, Legal, Music & performing Arts, Religion, Politics, Sport as well as Human Rights issues.

This year we are fortunate to continue our important collaboration with the Missouri History Museum in Saint Louis, University of Yaoundé in Cameroon, St. Louis University’s Sam and Marilyn Fox Atlas Week Program, The University of Kansas in Lawrence, MO and, “I Will Tell” International Film Festival in London, England.  We are also quite thrilled to announce our new collaboration with the University of West Indies in Kingston, Jamaica, University of the Western Cape in Bellville, South Africa - thanks to the UMSAEP program, and the Molefi Kete Asante Institute for Afrocentric Studies in Philadelphia, PA.

As always, my plethora of appreciation goes to the International Studies and Programs, especially the Director, Dr. Joel Glassman and Mr. Ephrem Andemariam, the Coordinator of African/African American Studies and the film festival, and the University of Missouri South Africa Exchange Program (UMSAEP).

I would also like to express my sincere appreciation to the following individuals: Mr. MK Stalling, Ms. Alex Detrick and the staff at Missouri History Museum; Mr. Owen Keith Woodard, Dr. Donatus Tandem - University of Yaoundé  in Cameroon; Drs.’ James Scott, Joya Uraizee, and  Michelle Lorenzini of St. Louis University;  Drs.’ Christina Lux and Beverly Mack of the University of Kansas; Ms. Jenny Lee  of “I Will Tell” International Film Festival in London, UK; Drs.’ Tunde Bewaji, Rachel Moseley-Wood and Franklyn St. Juste of the University of West Indies in Jamaica; Dr. Leolyn Jackson of the University of the Western Cape in South Africa and Drs’ Molefi Asante and Ama Mazama of The Molefi Kete Asante Institute for Afrocentric Studies in Philadelphia.

Enjoy the Festival

‘Niyi Coker, Jr.
E. Desmond Lee Professor
Festival Director