Adekunle Adejuyigbe joins FESPACO 2021 jury

The internationally recognized festival which was originally slated for February 2021 was delayed due to Covid-19 restrictions and the crippling security conditions in Burkina Faso.

Confirming his jury appointment, Adejuyigbe shared: “My fellow Jury members are acclaimed professionals from all over the world- Oscar Nominees, Professors, critically acclaimed Authors, these are people who have been recognized on the highest level of global excellence. So it feels good to know that the international film community considers me a peer of such brilliant minds.”

The ‘Delivery Boy’ director also expressed his satisfaction at the security detail at the ongoing festival.

“The feeling here in Burkina Faso is quite safe. There is a heavy security presence around the festival. As member of the jury, I ride around with a small entourage that consists of a personal assistant, a protocol officer and two security officers. So there is no way we wouldn’t feel safe, even for regular attendees, it feels very safe,” Nodash said.

239 films have been shortlisted for this year’s FESPACO themed ‘Cinemas of Africa and the Diaspora: New Perspectives, New Challenges’. The films selected from 50 countries made the list from 1,132 entries.

17 feature films will battle for the highly coveted Golden Stallion of Yennenga grand prize. In competition are directors from Egypt, Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Ivory Coast, Lesotho, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, Tanzania, Tunisia and Haiti.