[Tumi Makgabo:] This week on
[Inside Africa:] a look at the art of moviemaking on a continent with a rich history of storytelling. From Cairo in the north to Ouagadougou in the west, we'll review the successes of African actors and producers and take an in-depth look at the problems they face. Then we'll take you to Hollywood and see how actors from Africa are faring. That's the African film industry spotlighted in this special edition of INSIDE AFRICA. Hello, I'm Tumi Makgabo. Welcome to INSIDE AFRICA as we examine the film industry on the Continent. We'll be getting to that in a minute. But first, African leaders ended their annual summit in Moussaka this week, agreeing to forge a new alliance and chart a new course. The organization of African unity is being retired. In its place, the African Union. Jim Clancy examines what's ahead for the new union.
[Jim Clancy, Cnn Correspondent:] What was called the finest summit of the organization's African unity was a reinvention of decades old dreams and marked a watershed of ideas, past and future. The procession of heads of state included some of Africa's most visible democratically elected leaders. Libya's Muammar Qaddafi basked in the spotlight, amid credit for pushing the notion of a union forward and suspicions Tripoli's oil money had bankrolled at least some of the official African enthusiasm.
[Kayode Soyinka, "africa Today" Magazine:] This is the kind of information Qaddafi, you know, has. You know, but that, as it may, I believe that when you have someone like the president of Nigeria, Thabo Mbeki in South Africa, the two countries working hand in hand now. So many projects in the Continent, Muamar Qaddafi is not a problem.
[Clancy:] Qaddafi urged the conference to forge a union that was not based on European or U.S. ideals, but Africa's own values. For his part, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged African leaders to make fundamental changes to shape a true African union.
[Kofi Annan, U.n. Secretary-general:] The AU has today by and large focused on political issues. And I would hope that this transformation into a union will bring the leaders to such a focus on economic and social issues.
[Clancy:] The U.N. leaders said ongoing conflicts posed the greatest challenge to stability on the Continent. And he urged Africans to work together to resolve their differences and put their own people first. The former foreign minister of Ivory Coast Amira Assi was elected to help steer the transition toward the new African Union. Many challenges remain. While some see the African Union as a natural progression, many fear the haste to make a formal declaration could backfire. It is a new beginning, but few expect Africa to stride gracefully into the future if the people of Africa must carry the heavy baggage of decades of corruption, conflict and misrule along for the ride. Jim Clancy, CNN.
[Makgabo:] Africa is rich in the art of storytelling. And it's helped to create a growing film industry. But while many African moviemakers have gained a measure of success on the Continent, so far, international fame has eluded them. Dancers welcome participants to the fourth international festival of the doll country. The annual event celebrates the art and culture of East African countries, gulf states, India, Pakistan and islands of the Indian Ocean. The highlight is the screening of movies, speeches, documentaries and videos. And there was no short supply of African films, with producers and directors looking for a market for their products.
[Unidentified Male:] For me, that was the point of victory.
[Makgabo:] This was the latest in a series of film festivals, displaying the work of African moviemakers. Back in March, the stadiums and cinema of Burkina Faso's capital Ouagadougou were packed to capacity, as some of the best work from the continent was presented on the big screen. The state of the African film industry was also discussed. The message, moviemaking on the Continent is evolving into something worth watching. But there are still debates about the pace.
[Haile Gerima, Director:] To make a film in Africa is just a luxury, once in a lifetime to some filmmakers. Some of the best filmmakers that make only one, two, three.
[Makgabo:] The problem is not the work, as African producers are now turning out Hollywood quality films like "Lumumba," one of the films screened in Ouagadougou. It tells the story of the charismatic Patrice Lumumba, the first Prime Minister of what is today the democratic republic of Congo. Its producer is Haitian born Raoul Peck, who's lived and worked in Congo.
[Raoul Peck, Producer:] "Lumumba" is a film which was aimed at the world audience. It was not just for African or for Haiti, where I come from, or from the Third World. So it's a way for me, film is exchanging something.
[Makgabo:] Many filmmakers on the Continent believe they have a responsibility, not just to entertain, but to tackle social and political issues. Ivorian producer, Roger Ngoan M'Bala did just that in "Adanggaman," one of the movies that won acclaim in Ouagadougou. It looks at Africa's contribution to the transatlantic slave trade.
[Roger Ngoan M'bala, Producer, "adanggaman":] It factors entire history, we have to talk about it.
[Makgabo:] Movies like "Adanggaman" and "Lumumba" are attracting attention abroad. A film critic of "The Chicago Tribune" wrote, "the political drama "Lumumba" was as polished as any Hollywood production." Most African filmmakers have not captured the international market needed for their products. Some blame the lack of funds and resources.
[Peck:] So it's not a matter of your own, you know, desire, your own work, your own energy. It's just you cannot do it alone.
[Makgabo:] This problem is not unique to sub-Saharan Africa. Even in Egypt, once the movie capital of the Continent, the industry is suffering. Production has dropped from 100 movies a year to about 25. The veteran Senegalese producer, Ousmane Sembene, believes there's still hope.
[Ousmane Sembene, Producer:] I know the Africans are conscious of their own problems, but they are the only ones who can resolve their own cinemagraphic problems.
[Makgabo:] And for years, Sembene has practiced what he's preached, confronting the problems head on. He releases at least one film every two years to coincide with the Ouagadougou festival. His work this year, "Fakile," examines the changing role of women in Senegal. Who knows? Perhaps you'd be seeing at the box office near you. Well, Africa's diverse and breathtaking views have attracted dozens of Western filmmakers. One place that's been the site of several movies is a desert town in the south of Tunisia. Scenes from a worldwide blockbuster movie were shot here back in the 1980s. And as Sylvia Smith reports, the international attention is helping to boost the country's film industry.
[Sylvia Smith, Cnn Correspondent:] The droids and pod races are gone, but the site still carries reminders. Some of the most memorable scenes from "Star Wars" were shot here. And now, other film companies are discovering this great expanse of desert. Scouts from as far as France and the Ukraine have made the trek.
[Ziad Bebbebi, Tunisian Producer:] Following the success of "Star Wars," Tunisia decided to promote itself as really good place for shooting films.
[Smith:] Tourism is also on the rise here. "Star Wars" fans from all over the world are discovering the desert near Tozeur, in southern Tunisia.
[Unidentified Male:] We came to see the "Star Wars" sets and locations. We're on a trip in the desert to see where the films were shot.
[Smith:] But "Star Wars" isn't the only movie shot here. "The English Patient" also used this surreal setting.
[Bebbebi:] Since "Star Wars" was shot in Tunisia, desert becomes very popular in the following countries. And we have many production companies interested to shoot in Tunisia, documentaries, videotapes and full feature films.
[Smith:] Many visitors want mementos. Mostly from "Star Wars." And some go to great lengths to get them. Blockbusters like "Star Wars" have made hundreds of millions of dollars for Western companies. Now one enterprising Tunisian has found a way of making the film pay long after the shooting is over. Scrap can be very precious if it comes off the right movie lot.
[Unidentified Male:] It took eight days to get everything over here, like this feeder here. We used trucks, cranes, tractors and vans. It cost over 9,000 U.S. dollars just for transport.
[Smith:] The more recognizable the piece, the greater the value.
[Unidentified Male:] There are companies who come back to rent the same pieces if there's a sequel being filmed. Then there are the fans from all over Europe and even America that come here with huge containers.
[Smith:] The town of Tozeur itself has prospered. Thanks to the desert's appeal to the film industry. With a growing need for extras, scene-makers, and engineers. Not to mention camel handlers. This set is from the latest "Star Wars." But don't think we're going to tell you what happens. You're just going to have to wait. For CNN's INSIDE AFRICA, this is Sylvia Smith in Tozeur, Tunisia.
[Makgabo:] And speaking of waiting, still ahead on INSIDE AFRICA, Kenya provides the backdrop for a new film about a woman fighting sanctuary in Africa. Stay with us.