| Cinema of South Sudan | |
|---|---|
| No. ofscreens | None |
| Main distributors | None[1] |
Cinema is a newly developing industry inSouth Sudan.
The history of cinema in what is now called South Sudan started during theAnglo-Egyptian colonial period in Sudan. InJuba, as in other parts of the country, mobile cinema shows were announced by loudspeakers on the roof of a Landcruiser driving around town. These movie shows were held in the open, often introduced by short speeches that began at sunset. Audiences sat in front of a white piece of cloth, presenting a programme of American comedies and Westerns, short documentaries made by the mobile Sudanese filmmaking unit for a Sudanese public, and feature films made in India, Kenya, and Britain.[2]
South Sudan gained independence in 2011;[3] six years after the conclusion of theSecond Sudanese Civil War which led to the closure ofJuba's only cinema. In 2011,Daniel Danis directed the first South Sudanese feature film,Jamila.[4] As of 2011[update], South Sudan did not have a single movie theatre,[5] and most citizens relied onSouth Sudan Television what was locally called as SSTV.[6] According to the manager of theSouth Sudanese Government Agency which promotes filming and arts of creativity, Elfatih Majok Atem, "Many local filmmakers have never had any training so they could teach themselves on the job of filmmaking. Those who are experts face the challenge of accessing good equipment and tools and are affected by the lack of support and encouragement from its citizens".[6]
In 2016, South Sudan hosted its firstfilm festival, theJuba Film Festival.[7][8] The festival included a film industry conference, and the second scheduled to be held in South Sudan.[8] Founded by Simon Bingo, the festival was intended to alleviate the negative image of South Sudan as a war-torn country as well as to promote South Sudanese culture and art.[9][10]
Several groups in the country seek to promote filmmaking by local filmmakers: