[RESIDENCY] A FRANCO-SENEGALESE-GAMBIAN RESIDENCY 🎬 KHOROS CROSS-CULTURAL RESIDENCY 2024 – 2nd edition

Khoros Cross-Cultural Residency

The Khoros Cross-Cultural Residency is an interdisciplinary program designed for women in cinema, organized by the Khorus Film Foundation with the support of the Alliance Française de Banjul. Its objective is to promote intercultural collaborations between filmmakers from different countries, thereby creating opportunities for growth, learning, and artistic expression.

Bios

Martha Elizabeth MANGA

Martha Elizabeth Manga is a 25-year-old Gambian filmmaker and producer. She began her career in the film industry in 2022 with the Khoros Film Foundation (KFF) and Studio 71. Since then, she has produced three short films, directed her first short film, co-directed a music video, and is currently writing her first feature film. Martha is also the director of the Khoros Film Festival. For her, cinema is more than a means of expression; it is a way of life, which explains her great passion for the field.

Justine COULMY

Justine Coulmy, 26, is a French director of photography specializing in fiction and documentary. Originally from southern France, she travels frequently for her documentary projects. Her work primarily focuses on social themes, highlighting individuals engaged in finding solutions to problems in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Before turning to photography, Justine was a dancer, which explains the importance of movement in her filming style.

Aïssatou Ndiaye GUEYE

Aïssatou Ndiaye Gueye is a Senegalese producer passionate about cinema and audiovisual arts. She began learning this field in 2015 at the University Gaston Berger of Saint-Louis in Senegal. From 2015 to 2023, she gained practical experience in scriptwriting, cinematography, and directing. In 2023, she produced her first professional film, “LE PRENOM,” which was selected for the Vues d’Afrique festival in 2024. The same year, “LE PRÉNOM” won the second prize at the international Gala Public Court festival and the Silver Kemyth at RECICO in 2024.

Khoros Cross-Cultural Residency: Empowering Women in Cinema and Gardening

This one-month residency, scheduled for November, is designed for women in cinema and aims to build bridges between filmmakers from Senegal, France, and Gambia. With an entirely female and young group, this edition is dedicated to empowering and strengthening young filmmakers. The documentary they produce will aim to highlight the Women Gardeners of Bakau, whose work is crucial for the livelihoods of many families within the community. The focus will be on the intersection of environmental issues and women’s empowerment through the lens of documentary filmmaking.

Over the course of a month, the group will participate in workshops, receive mentorship from industry professionals, and work together to develop, film, edit, and screen a 15-minute documentary at the Khoros Film Festival at the end of November.

The collective experience of working with other female filmmakers from diverse backgrounds, while highlighting the stories of the Women Gardeners, demonstrates the program’s objective to amplify women’s voices.

Together, these filmmakers will combine their skills and perspectives to capture the passion, resilience, and commitment of the women farmers of Bakau, highlighting the importance of their work and the unique challenges they face in community agriculture.