The 2017 award ceremony for African filmmakers and actors, Fespaco, has ended with Burkina Faso winning four of the twelve special awards.

The closing ceremony which took place at the Burkinabe national arts and audiovisuals centre, March 4, was attended by high profiled dignitaries, outstanding film maker who were recognized with various distinctions.

Burkina Faso won four special awards with its long and short films like “la rue ne pas mere” and “Frontieres”. “la rue ne pas mere” also received the UNICEF-sponsored price for the promotion of child rights.

Meanwhile Benin film maker Douada coulibaly and his long film “wulu» was conferred the ousmane Sembene award named after one of the pioneers and greatest African directors. The film “wulu» was acclaimed for its relevance in addressing corruption. The film recounts the rise of a West African drug lord and the socio-political effects of drug trafficking in West Africa. .

Marie clementine dusabejambo, young Rwandan filmmaker earned the thomas sankara special award and the price of chance from the burkinabe parliament. His film, “A Place for Myself,” recounts the life of a young Rwandan albino girl, Elikia, who has to endure discrimination and stigma when she enrolled in primary school.

Despite Cameroon’s outstanding representation at the Burkinabe event, with nine of its films selected, none succeeded in bringing an award home. The Pan-African film and television festival takes place every two years in Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou, with the stated aim of promoting African cinema.