Oct 4, 2008, 16:31 GMT
Berlin - German President Horst Koehler is to open African Screens - New Cinema from Africa to be presented in Berlin's House of Cultures of the World, it was announced Saturday.
Starting October 9, the month-long film festival is to screen over 40 feature films, documentaries and short film programmes representing a panorama of contemporary African cinema.
The festival's organizers, describing African film as 'a cinema full of contrasts,' say that a major theme of African film at present is 'the end of the nationalist utopia' on the continent.
Some films endeavour to show changes forced upon Africa from the West have actually been the source of problems for continent.
Among the films to be shown are Les Saignantes - one of Africa's first science fiction political thrillers - from Cameroonian director Jean-Pierre Bekolo, reputed to be Africa's Quentin Tarantino.
Other works to be screened are more classical African films such as from 'the father of African cinema' Ousmane Sembene.
Your Talkback on this Story