Les Ateliers de Toumaï

Chad: a country of culture and youth

Chad is a Sahel-Saharan country covering an area of 1,284,000 km², with an estimated population of over sixteen million. It is currently one of the countries in Central Africa where many political events and transitions have taken place, yet these have done little to promote socio-economic and cultural development. Chad is now regarded as the cradle of humanity, thanks to the discovery on Chadian soil of Toumaï, a pre-human ancestor dating back 7 million years. Today, with the digital revolution in full swing, the youth of Chad are being called upon to take action and are seeking representation in various fields.

In this new millennium, where many nations around the world are seeking to consolidate their cultural identities and origins, the nations of Africa are no exception to this rule. As a young African continent, we must necessarily take action. Given the number of ethnic groups in Chad and the sub-region, it is important to come together to express this diversity of traditional culture in the name of our ancestors.

A recognised yet still dependent film industry: the issue

Despite the international recognition enjoyed by the Chadian film industry, thanks to a number of films that have won multiple awards at the Cannes International Film Festival and elsewhere, production levels remain low, and the films produced tend to focus on subjects viewed from an external perspective.

In this new era, where the digital revolution is breaking all records, major African film-producing countries such as Nigeria, Morocco and Egypt are managing to stand out, establishing their own film industries that no longer necessarily depend on external powers amidst the proliferation of dominant cultures. Increasingly, they are making their mark on the global stage, and their productions no longer necessarily depend on France. The film industries of other African countries are struggling to stand out from the crowd. This is particularly the case for countries in Central Africa. Why is this? Hence the significance of this project.

Tchad Studio and the project to revitalise Chadian cinema

To win over the political will of the Chadian government, which has always been lacking, the new wave of Chadian cinema – made up mainly of young people – is setting its sights high and giving itself every opportunity to push the boundaries as far as possible, in order to secure the place it deserves in the society of our century. It is with this in mind that a project to revitalise the film industry in Chad, spearheaded by Tchad Studio and a collective of professionals, has been launched.

The initiative is led by Tchad Studio, a production company based in Chad and headed by filmmaker and director Aaron Padacké Zégoubé. Through collaboration with partners, TV channels and others, Tchad Studio aims to be a production centre that showcases Africa as you have never seen it before. Faced with the global film industry’s demand for universality, Africa wishes to remain authentic, happy, dynamic and prosperous – a far cry from the whingeing image of Africa that is sometimes willing to sell its dignity.

Les Ateliers de Toumaï: a hub for emerging talent

Les Ateliers de Toumaï is a film development and co-production laboratory in the Sahel. Based in Chad, Les Ateliers de Toumaï offers writing residencies and film training. Les Ateliers de Toumaï supports emerging screenwriters and directors from Central Africa in developing their film projects and refining their screenplays.

Following on from the Ouaga Film Lab and the Yaoundé Film Lab, Les Ateliers de Toumaï has been launched and has joined the network of film labs in sub-Saharan Africa. Defined as a laboratory for the development and co-production of film projects, ‘Les Ateliers de Toumaï’ aims to foster encounters between experts and young talent from across the continent, with a particular focus on the Sahel region and its surroundings. The roadmap invites all young Chadians and Africans with film projects to benefit from mentoring to help make their projects competitive.