John Akomfrah European Cultural Foundation Profile
Documentary artist profile. Cinematography, colour grade and sound edit by Loner Films.
Directed by David Lawson
Produced by David Lawson and Lina Gopaul
Cinematography by Alex Seery
Assistant Camera and DIT by Catriona McAvoy
Sound Recording by Trevor Mathison
Sound Design by Trevor Mathison
Edited by Nse Asuquo
Sound Edited by Catriona McAvoy
Colour Grade by Alex Seery
ECF ROUTES PRINCESS MARGRIET AWARD, 4th edition JURY STATEMENTS
JOHN AKOMFRAH Born Accra, Ghana (1957), lives and works in London. Film-maker, cultural activist.
John Akomfrah’s films are at once poetic and essayistic – creative dialogues that pose intriguing questions about culture, migration, integration and intercultural exchange. He explores both urban and rural landscapes, using diverse perspectives to challenge accepted narratives of history and give prominence to its unheralded changemakers. The jury lauded the development of Akomfrah’s oeuvre from his earliest film the ground-breaking Handsworth Songs (1986) to his latest film, Nine Muses (2010), an artistic meditation on migration, myth and memory which creatively weaves together layers of original footage, archival clips, sound and poetry. In its entirety, Akomfrah’s longstanding body of work is a profound and multi-layered creation championing voices often hidden from the mainstream discourse of European pasts.
ECF ROUTES PRINCESS MARGRIET AWARD, 4th edition
The European Cultural Foundation is pleased to announce that the independent Award Jury have unanimously agreed to offer film-maker John Akomfrah and museum director and curator Charles Esche the 4th Routes Princess Margriet Award each. John Akomfrah was chosen for his ground-breaking film oeuvre woven from perspectives often hidden from the accepted narratives of European history; Charles Esche for his exceptional leadership in rethinking centers and museums of contemporary art as public spaces that show us the power and value of art in engaging with the contemporary world.
The Award laureates were selected from a list of 90 nominations of internationally renowned cultural thinkers and practitioners, nominated by network of eminent cultural actors from all over Europe.
The Jury members of the 4th edition ECF Routes Award are: chair person Hilary Carty, former Director, Cultural Leadership Programme, United Kingdom; Sudeep Dasgupta, Associate Professor, Department of Media & Culture, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands, Jan Dibbets, artist, Netherlands; Maria Lind, curator and director Tensta Konstall, Sweden; Els van der Plas, Director Premsela, Dutch Platform for Design and Fashion, Netherlands.
Both laureates will be presented the Award by HRH Princess Margriet of the Netherlands during a ceremony dedicated to them and their work in Brussels on 19 March 2012. To broaden the public exposure and discussion around the laureates work, the ECF is also developing a programme which involves screenings and talks to take place in Brussels and the Netherlands in the months following the ceremony.
ECF Routes Princess Margriet Award
The ECF Routes Princess Margriet Award is a tribute to HRH Princess Margriet of the Netherlands, president of ECF from 1983-2007. By giving this Award ECF wishes to enhance the unique role of the arts in challenging cultural divisions in Europe and to show how cultural change-makers can shift our perceptions, taking us beyond our comfort zones and along new ‘routes’. The Routes Award is an initiative of the ECF in cooperation with the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the generous support of the Rabobank Foundation.
European Cultural Foundation (ECF)
The ECF is an independent foundation based in the Netherlands that has been operating across Europe since 1954. ECF gives Europe’s many and diverse voices the chance to tell their stories and be heard. With partners in more than 50 countries, our programmes support young media-makers and cultural actors of change throughout wider Europe, our grants support creativity across borders, and our advocacy puts culture firmly on the agenda.
The ECF is supported financially by BankGiro Loterij, De Lotto and De Nationale Instant Loterij via the Prins Bernhard Cultural Fund. For more information on the ECF, go to www.eurocult.org