Our annual 18-week call for film submission and skill-development participation for the 7th annual Lola Kenya Screen audiovisual media festival, skill-development mentorship programme and market for children and youth that takes place in Nairobi, Kenya, August 6-11, 2012, is open.

We are also calling upon children and youth interested in developing their creative and cultural entrepreneurship skills and showcasing their films at Africa's first audiovisual media event EXCLUSIVELY designed for children and youth to send in their applications between December 1, 2011 and April 15, 2012.

1. Mentorship Programmes Application
Children and youth interested in creative and cultural entrepreneurship are invited to send in their application to be considered for participation in either filmmaking, creative writing, cultural journalism, critical appreciation, or organisation & presentation of events.

The centre-piece of Lola Kenya Screen-a members of a global community of media practitioners and educators that promotes excellence in cinema for children and youth as well as equipping children to create content for children-is the practical, hands-on, ‘learn-as-you-do' mentorship programmes through which we explore, identify, nurture and flaunt creative talent among children and youth in filmmaking, creative writing, cultural journalism, critical appreciation, organisation and presentation of events, and media literacy.

The objective of these mentorship programmes is to equip participants with the skills to understand, appreciate, conceive and create high quality audiovisual media productions in particular and creative and cultural products in general. This work can bear dividends only if it is done throughout the year and not just seasonally.

The deadline for applications is April 15, 2012.

2. 7th Lola Kenya Screen Golden Mboni and 14-Plus Award Application
Lola Kenya Screen invites all kinds of moving images-animation, fiction, documentary and experimental films, television series, video games and even creatively packaged music videos tackling issues related to children, youth and family and that provide strong role models to children and youth while speaking positively to children of diverse backgrounds are accepted-from all over the world.

Selected films are showcased under various categories with those starring children aged 6-13 years competing for the prestigious Lola Kenya Screen Golden Mboni award for the best children's film and those featuring children above 14 years competing for the Lola Kenya Screen 14-Plus Prize for the best youth film.

All entries submitted must be suitable for children ages 13 and under, youth aged 14-25 years, or family (25+).

The deadline for applications is April 15, 2012.

3. 6th Kids for Kids Festival Africa Call for Films
Lola Kenya Screen invites films from children and youth in Africa for the 6th annual Kids for Kids Africa Festival (KFKF-A) Competition that has since 2008 been organised and presented in the framework of Africa's premier audiovisual media initiative specifically and exclusively designed for children and youth.

"The films we are looking for must be made by children and youth in 2011 and 2012 only; any film made by adults masquerading as children or youth are unacceptable," Lola Kenya Screen director Ogova Ondego says. "We define a child as any one aged 18 years and under. And such people need not be citizens of Africa but can be resident in the mother continent at the time the film was made."

Ondego clarifies that films made by children under the guidance of adults are eligible for the Kids For Kids Festival Africa but that the contribution of adults should be confined to training or facilitating the process but should not be extended to areas such as scripting, shooting, story-boarding or animating that disqualify the production.

"Eligible films are those made by children resident in any part of Africa. All kinds of moving images-animation, experimental, documentary, fiction-will be considered," Ondego says.

Like all entries to Lola Kenya Screen, any film in a language other than English must be sub-titled in English.

"All entries will be received, processed, assessed and awarded by a film selection committee and jury comprising children. Winning entries will represent Africa at the international Kids for Kids Festival," Ondego adds.

The deadline for receiving entries at the Lola Kenya Screen directorate is April 15, 2012.

Films for the 6th Kids For Kids Festival Africa are to be submitted to:
Lola Kenya Screen, PCEA Enchoro Emuny Church, Ngong Road, Ngong Hills (about 20km from Nairobi CBD), P O Box 20775-00100 GPO, Nairobi, Kenya (EA).

The Kids For Kids Festival (KFKF) is an international community of young filmmakers and media educators; it constitutes a unique, international movement for the promotion and advertisement of audiovisual messages created by children for children.
A series of affiliated KFKF have now been operating on regional levels, like the KFKF Balkans, KFKF Africa (KFKF-A), KFKF Nordic & Baltic Sea, or on a national level like the KFKF-UK and KFKF Iran.

KFKF-A was first held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2007. However since August 2008, KFKA has been organised and presented in the framework of the Nairobi, Kenya-based Lola Kenya Screen.

More about Lola Kenya Screen
Lola Kenya Screen is Africa's first audiovisual media initiative EXCLUSIVELY designed for children and youth.
Lola Kenya Screen is focused on audiovisual media 365/366 days a year through a weekly school outreach programme, a fortnightly community mobile cinema, a monthly film forum, a quarterly internship programme, an annual film festival and on-demand, tailor-made audiovisual media outreach projects.
The centre-piece of Lola Kenya Screen-a members of a global community of media practitioners and educators that promotes excellence in cinema for children and youth as well as equipping children to create content for children-is the practical, hands-on, ‘learn-as-you-do' mentorship programmes through which we explore, identify, nurture and flaunt creative talent among children and youth in filmmaking, creative writing, cultural journalism, critical appreciation, organisation and presentation of events, and media literacy.

The objective of these mentorship programmes is to equip participants with the skills to understand, appreciate, conceive and create high quality audiovisual media productions in particular and creative and cultural products in general. This work can bear dividends only if it is done throughout the year and not just seasonally.