Two films by Burkina-based Ghanaian nominated for 2019 FESPACO award

A Burkina Faso-based Ghanaian filmmaker, Ambrose Bubi Cooke, has received two nominations in this year’s Pan-African film and television festival (FESPACO) with his first two big projects.

The relatively new filmmaker received nomination in the Short Film and TV Series categories with le banc sur le rivage du lac and Petites histoires, Grandes Verites (PHGV) respectively.

PHGV is a compilation based on life stories by a Catholic priest in Burkina Faso, Father Ernest Marie Ilboudo, and personal stories of the scriptwriter, Ambrose Cooke, his friends and family.

A total of 52 episodes have so far been created with each running for 13 minutes.

The short film on the other hand is based on true events in Burkina Faso, which Ambrose Cooke has rewritten to mask the true identities of the personalities involved.

“I feel honoured… I’m carrying two flags now; that of Ghana and Burkina Faso. The Burkinabés treat me as their own here and respect where I’m coming from. Winning will just be a bonus, looking at how difficult it is to be nominated in this competition,” Cooke told 3news.com.

FESPACO is the biggest regular cultural event on the African continent that seeks to “contribute to the expansion and development of African cinema as a means of expression, education and awareness-raising.”

This year’s event, which is the 26^th edition, is scheduled to begin on February 23.

Who’s Ambrose Cooke?

Ambrose Cooke who in 2015 co-founded Boom Media, a film production unit with his friend, Auguste Wibgha, started his career in Ghana as a graphic designer-cum-copywriter for television ads and music videos.

Within a short time, he ended up shooting and editing videos himself.

In 2005, he was engaged full time by a French company in Burkina Faso which he occasionally did work for. He consequently relocated to that country; marking the beginning of his journey into the film industry.

He stayed in Burkina Faso where he did a lot of work and eventually won five music video awards with countless nominations.

Then in 2015 after a brief return to Ghana where he helped a team of professionals to create an online television platform, Infoboxx TV, he moved back to Burkina Faso to create Boom Media.

Upon his return to Burkina Faso, he developed a mini-web/television serial called VOILA AFFAIR (circa 2016) as his first project.

In the course of his work, Cooke told 3news.com that he chanced on a special short story prose called ”PETITES HISTOIRES, GRANDES VERITES” by the Catholic priest who was a friend to his business partner, and that influenced the creation of the TV series which has been nominated for the 2019 FESPACO.

By Stephen Kwabena Effah|3news.com|Ghana
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