Filmmakers, Barmmy Boi and Sessy J are premiering their films at the Zanzibar Int Film Festival

Freetown | 23 June 2022 | Vertex Media

Sierra Leonean filmmakers, Lansana Mansaray aka Barmmy Boi and Mohamed J. Sessy Kamara are in Zanzibar, where they are premiering two of their documentary films titled ‘SISRERHOOD’ and ‘THE NEW BOAT’ at the Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF), across several communities in Zanzibar. Both films are the only films selected from Sierra Leone for this Film Festival.

‘SISRERHOOD’ which was directed by M.J Sessy Kamara has gotten its first premiere on the 21st June at the Marumaru Hotel Hall, back of the Fort Building in Zanzibar City. While the ‘THE NEW BOAT’, which was directed by Lansana Mansaray aka Barmmy Boi, also had a special screening for fishermen at a fishing community in Marubi Village, on the 23rd June. Their local language Kiswahili was also utilized in the premiering, as they are faced similar challenge of overfishing from foreign trawlers in their traditional fishing waters.

“Both films will also be premiered in Sierra Leone, and will be screened around fishing communities as part of our impact and outreach plan,” Barmmy Boi, Director of ‘The New Boat’.

He furthered that, “We hope that these films will reach the diverse audiences to ignite wide discussions and actions around issues of illegal fishing, food security, climate change, migration and livelihoods.”

There will be one more screening for each documentary film within the ZIFF main premiering hall at the Marumaru Hotel.

Both filmmakers, Barmmy Boi and Sessy J are from Freetown Media Centre (WeOwnTv), a leading production hub for short films and documentaries in Sierra Leone.

In 2019, a documentary film – ‘SURVIVORS’, by WeOwnTV, Directed and Produced mainly Arthur Pratt and Lansana ‘Barmmy Boi’ Mansaray, earned an Emmy Award nomination for ‘Outstanding Social Issue Documentary’ in the United States.

By Ibrahim Sorious Samura