Doctor, writer and politician, António Agostinho Neto was one of the main figures of Angola in the twentieth century. His story will be told to a new generation in several audiovisual works that will be produced and exhibited during the first edition of FestiFilme Internacional – Memórias de Angola (Memories of Angola, in Portuguese translation).
The event, which will take place in Luanda from 16 to 28 September, will be attended by eight teams from Brazil, Mozambique, Portugal, Cape Verde and Angola, who will produce eight 25-minute short films, six documentaries and two fiction films, all based on António Agostinho Neto’s short stories and poems.
The films will be screened for festival guests in a special program with sessions commented by juries and professional producers from Angola and other countries.
It will also be open for participation by popular vote with open-air exhibitions through a mobile cinema unit to be set up in Luanda Bay. The event will close with a gala awards.
In addition to the exhibitions, the festival will feature audiovisual production workshops. The festival has the support of the António Agostinho Neto foundation.
First president
Agostinho Neto was president of the Angolan People’s Liberation Movement and in 1975 became the first president of Angola until 1979. In 1975-1976, he was appointed the Lenin Peace Prize.
He was part of the generation of African students who played a decisive role in the independence of their countries that were designated as the Portuguese Colonial War. In parallel to my political career, I developed an intense literary activity, writing poems.