58 African films from around the continent will be highlighted during the festival, which runs Nov 7-11.

Lonesome Solo’s TIFF Discovery entry Burn It Up Djassa (Ivory Coast) [pictured], Andrew Dosunmu’s LFF title Restless City (Congo/USA) and Leila Kilani’s award-winning On the Edge (Morocco) are among the feature films set to compete in the inaugural Colors of the Nile International Film Festival (CNIFF), running from Nov 7-11 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The festival will highlight 58 African film offerings from around the continent, all of which will be African, East African or Ethiopian premieres from African directors or producers. There will be competitive categories for features, documentaries and short films, with 11 total awards being given out, including The Great Nile Award for Best Feature Film Director.

The other films in the feature film competition are Fragrance of a Lemon (Ethiopia), Grey Matter (Rwanda), Otelo Burning (South Africa), The Repentant (Algeria) and Virgin Margarita (Mozambique).

Additionally, the festival will feature four non-competitive categories: the Best of the Fest selection (a showcase of critically acclaimed films focused on Africa), an Ethiopian cinema showcase, a homage to Senegalese cinema and Location Africa (a selection of films set in Africa).

Alain Gomis’ 2012 film Tey, a co-production between Senegal and France, will open the festival. CNIFF will also screen A Trip to Algiers to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Algier’s independence.

“The titles show that a new wave of modern African cinema is coming of age and they present a new vision of the continent and its creativity,” commented CNIFF president Abraham Haile Biru, an award-winning cinematographer.

CNIFF is supported by partners The Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Encounters South African International Documentary Film Festival, Addis Ababa Tourism Bureau, Seagull Films and Institut Francais. The festival is also sponsored by the European Union, French Embassy, East Africa Audiovisual, Alliance Francaise, Goethe-Insitut Addis Ababa, EUNIC, Egypt Air, Italian Cultural Institution, FBC and NISCO.