Hans-Christian Mahnke
Biography
Hans-Christian Mahnke, born in 1978, political scientist, and director of AfricAvenir Namibia, is a filmmaker working for the broader aim of an African Renaissance through the medium of film. As director and founder of the Namibian branch of the panAfrican organization AfricAvenir, he has been showing quality African films since 2004 at various places in Germany and Namibia on a regular and systematic basis, tackling challenges like distribution, screening culturem and accessibility of African cinema to African audiences. He has assisted in establishing screening initiatives around Africa. Emphasis is put on a panAfrican approach, fostering cultural exchange, and understanding, and pushing for a decolonization of the screens. Mahnke served on various festival juries in Windhoek, Cape Winelands, Harare (chair), Cairo, and in Ismailia (chair). He works towards regional integration in order to push for higher quality films and self sustainable markets. Under his leadership AfricAvenir has been official partner of the 1st African Film Festival and 15th. Besides the pioneering work of showing African films in Namibia, Cameroon, and Germany, Mahnke has co-created the Namibian Movie Collection to store, showcase, promote and distribute Namibian film products in- and outside Namibia.
