The 7th edition of the annual Eko International Film Festival (EKOIFF) was declared open at the Silverbird Galleria, Victoria Island, Lagos on Monday.
Founder/President of Supple Communications Limited, organisers of the festival, Hope Opara, declared it open at a press conference held in collaboration with the Public Affairs Section of the United States Consulate General.
Present at the opening were Deputy Public Affairs Officer, Frank Sellin, and Public Affairs Officer, Darcy Zotter, both of the US Consulate General.
A key programme of this year’s festival is the American Film Showcase, showcasing contemporary documentaries by independent American filmmakers.
Speaking on the programme, Opara said, “Documentaries are real films that talk about real events, real people and real situations unlike fiction.
“They inspire you to be a better person and that was why we invited young students from tertiary institutions to come and watch.”
Sellin spoke about the diversity of documentaries that will be showcased, saying “Keep in mind that American filmmakers are looking for subjects around the world and most of them are focused primarily on American locations.
“So you will see a diversity in geography, cultural and ethnic groups and you will see different stories on American histories because it is these diversity of cultural and historical narratives that make the passive Americans.”
Two documentaries from the American Film Showcase – Code Girl and I’m Not Racist…Am I? – were screened on the opening day of the festival.
