An interview with Jean-Pierre Bekolo and the contributors of this Special Issue

The corresponding editor of this Special Issue of the Journal of African Cinemas (JAC) invited all contributors to submit questions they would consider asking the filmmaker on his work and the notion of the future in African cinemas. All submitted questions by the contributors of this issue were organized to create a conversational flow and were presented to Jean-Pierre Bekolo, who in turn graciously accepted to respond in writing. One of the objectives is to create a common space for all participants to engage with the filmmaker and bring to light guiding principles of the notion of the future, futurism and Afrofuturism from the filmmaker’s perspective. The corresponding editor is indebted to Jean-Pierre Bekolo for taking the time to respond meticulously to each and every question that was presented to him. My expression of gratitude to the contributors of this issue, Matthias De Groof, Vlad Dima, Rita Keresztesi and Olivier Tchouaffe for their keen engagement in submitting their interview questions.