Ouagadougou - Burkina Faso — Nigeria's Mac Kusare has won the ECOWAS prize for integration at the just- concluded 22nd Pan African Film and Television Festival (FESPACO) which ended on 5th March 2011 in Ouagadougou.

The winning film, Champions of our Time, a story about two girls, subtly deals with the issues of handicap, discrimination, corruption and gender. The jury of five, comprising four from French-speaking West Africa and one Ghanaian, adjudged it the best in capturing the essence of integration through the medium of film from the 12 entries submitted for the prize which is sponsored by ECOWAS. The winner took away the 10,000 dollar prize and a trophy, one of the special prizes awarded during the biennial event that celebrates African cinema and markets.

The prize is awarded for the film with the best artistic value, which shows creativity and contributes to durable development, particularly the promotion of West African integration.

The 12 entries considered by the jury came from Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Mali, Nigeria and Niger. The cheque for the amount will be presented to the winner at a ceremony later in the year at the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja.