What might sound like the plot of the latest flick by Quentin Tarantino or another Hollywood auteur is actually the fruit of a partnership between streaming giant Netflix and the UN cultural agency UNESCO to give a platform to new voices in African cinema.

Katera of the Punishment Island, directed by Ugandan Loukman Ali, is among six short films co-financed on the continent by the American platform and the UN agency.

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"It's the revenge of a young girl, left to her own devices and yet who is going to smash up everything," said French producer Pape Boye, who served as a "mentor" to the director and praises the "jubilant violence" of the film.

Loukman Ali, he said, is a worthy representative of a new generation of African filmmakers, who grew up on a diet of mainstream cinema and "want to be seen by as many people as possible", scorning so-called genre films.

The director, 32, said he embraced cinema as a form of escapism and a way to forget the poverty surrounding him as he was growing up.

"Each time there was a film that reminded us of how poor we were or how bad situation the situation was, it was kind of like a no-no," he told AFP in a telephone interview. "I am more about entertainment. That's the model I follow."

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