202 participants have been selected for the Berlinale Talents, and amongst these participants are Nigerian Action movie star Tobi Bakre and 11 other Africans. The Berlinale Talents constitutes a significant section of the annual Berlin International Film Festival, scheduled to take place in Berlin from 17 to 22 February 2024.
Among the long list of eligible candidates, three Nigerians; Tobi Bakre, Ini-Abasi Jeffrey and Linda Leila Diatta have been selected, making up part of the 11 Africans chosen for this prestigious opportunity.
On January 9, 2024, the organizers unveiled the names of 202 filmmakers from 68 different countries. These selected talents will have the chance to immerse themselves in the film industry. As the talents will be connected with the film industry and the Berlinale audience in numerous talks, workshops, and public discussions under the theme: Common Tongues: Speaking Out in the Language of Cinema.
After his time on the reality show BBNaija, Tobi Bakre has gained recognition for his compelling performances in roles portraying the Action movie star archetype, notably in movies like Brotherhood, Gangs Of Lagos, and the recent Slum King. Acknowledging his selection on Twitter, Bakre expressed his gratitude with a simple post that reads “Awesome God.”
Joining Bakre are other remarkable African talents, including Slim Baccar from Tunisia, Niza Jay from South Africa, Wangechi Ngugi from Kenya, Maisha Maene from the DR Congo, Aline Amike, a Rwandan-born artist selected for Germany, Chloé Ortolé from Senegal, Advik Beni from South Africa, Morad Mostafa from Egypt, and Fatima Wardy, a Sudanese-born talent selected from the US.
As outlined in the organizers’ press release, the 202 selected talents, comprising 116 females, 76 males, and 10 diverse, span various disciplines such as acting, cinematography, directing, film distribution, film journalism, production, set and digital set design, screenwriting, sound design, score composition, film editing, world sales, and audience design among others.
