The Royal African Society (www.RoyalAfricanSociety.org) is delighted to announce that Movie Africa (25 October – 3 November), some of the anticipated and celebrated showcases of African cinema in Europe, will return for its 2024 version throughout Black Historical past Month.
For ten thrilling days, Movie Africa (http://apo-opa.co/3BjNEhu) will rework London right into a bustling hub of African cinema, with screenings going down at among the metropolis’s most prestigious venues. Bringing collectively visionary filmmakers from over 20 African international locations and the diaspora, from Morocco to Madagascar, Sierra Leone to Senegal, Movie Africa is an unparalleled showcase of latest African cinema, highlighting the varied narratives and revolutionary spirit thriving throughout the continent as we speak.
These embrace movies from new expertise (After the Lengthy Rains by 23-year-old Swiss-Kenyan director Damien Hauser) in addition to restored classics (Mandabi by Ousmane Sembène “the daddy of African cinema”), queer cinema (Nyame Mma by Joewackle J Kusi) and over a 3rd of movies directed by ladies.
“African cinema is flourishing, and this yr’s pageant has a line-up of over 70 movies (https://apo-opa.co/4dp4p8l), from fascinating options that sort out advanced social points, compelling documentaries that uncover untold tales, and revolutionary shorts from cutting-edge expertise. Audiences will journey by way of the wealthy terrains of African storytelling, witnessing firsthand the creativity and indomitable spirit that defines African cinema as we speak”, stated Keith Shiri, Lead Curator of Movie Africa 2024.
Opening&Closing Movies
BFI Southbank
Opening the pageant on Gala night time (25 Oct) is Dahomey (http://apo-opa.co/4eIe0bA) (2024, France/Senegal/Benin) directed by Senegalese filmmaker Mati Diop, which gained the Golden Bear on the 2024 Berlinale. The documentary presents a dramatised account of the return of 26 royal treasures from a museum in France to their rightful dwelling, delving into the complexities of cultural repatriation and restitution, a theme all through this yr’s pageant.
Closing the pageant for its UK premiere (3 Nov) is Black Tea (http://apo-opa.co/4eJSfbf) (2024, France/Mauritania/Luxembourg/Taiwan/Ivory Coast), one other Berlinale finalist. Black Tea is a poignant romantic drama by acclaimed Mauritanian director Abderrahmane Sissako. Starring Nina Mélo and Chang Han, the movie follows the journey of a younger Ivorian girl embarking on a transformative odyssey to China, the place she finds surprising love.
One of many pageant’s most anticipated occasions is an unscripted dialogue between award-winning filmmaker and artist Abderrahmane Sissako (Black Tea) and filmmaker Sir John Akomfrah (Handsworth Songs), who not too long ago represented Britain on the Venice Biennale. The pair will talk about their celebrated careers, having revered and adopted one another’s work for many years.
Up to date African Cinema
Barbican Centre
Screening on the Barbican is On Turning into a Guinea Fowl (2024, Eire/United Kingdom/United States/Zambia), directed by BAFTA award-winning Zambian-Welsh director Rungano Nyoni. The darkish comedy-drama follows Shula (Susan Chardy), who stumbles upon the physique of her uncle. As funeral proceedings start, she and her cousins tackle the buried secrets and techniques of their conventional, middle-class Zambian household. The movie affords an perception into sexual abuse and gained the Cannes Un Sure Regard Finest Director award.
After the Lengthy Rains (http://apo-opa.co/3ZLVKd8) (2024, Kenya) is a coming-of-age story about Aisha (Electricer Kache Hamisi), a ten-year-old Kenyan woman who goals of changing into an actress. Decided to buck village custom, she befriends a fisherman to get a job on a ship so she will sail to Europe. For his third characteristic, the 23-year-old Swiss-Kenyan director Damien Hauser was influenced by Studio Ghibli.
Wealthy Combine
Rosine Mbakam, an award-winning Cameroonian filmmaker, joins the line-up along with her uplifting narrative characteristic debut Mambar Pierrette (http://apo-opa.co/3ZLjOg7) (2023, Belgium/Cameroon), screening on the Wealthy Combine in Bethnal Inexperienced. The movie follows a proficient and resilient seamstress in Cameroon (performed by non-professional actor, Pierrette Aboheu Njeuthat, who can also be Mbakam’s cousin) as she struggles to help her kids and mom.
Sara Chitambo’s debut characteristic Black Folks Don’t Get Depressed (http://apo-opa.co/3ZO2EhR) (2024, South Africa/Nigeria/Canada) appears at her quest for psychological peace as she faces her melancholy head-on, addressing the stigmas of psychological sickness in Black and African communities.
Directed by Luck Razanajaona, Disco Afrika: A Malagasy Story (http://apo-opa.co/3zvw7CG) (2023, France/Madagascar/Germany/Mauritius/Qatar/South Africa) the movie gives Madagascar with its first-ever choice for a serious worldwide pageant that includes at Berlin and Toronto. Kwame (Delanoël Parista Sambo), a sapphire miner, returns to his dwelling village the place he reconnects together with his group’s decades-long combat in opposition to corruption.
Backyard Cinema
Nabil Ayouch’s All people Loves Touda (http://apo-opa.co/4dmSyru) (2024, Morocco/France/Belgium/Denmark/Netherlands/Norway), follows Touda (Nisrin Erradi), a single mom who performs in dingy bars to make ends meet however longs to develop into a standard Moroccan singer and dancer (Sheikha) to offer a greater life to her deaf-and-mute son (Joud Chamihy).
Peckamplex&Ritzy Picturehouse
The Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos (http://apo-opa.co/3ZFxlWw) by Nigerian filmmaking pressure The Agbajowo Collective (2024, Nigeria/Germany/South Africa/United States) relies on the real-life occasions between November 2016 and April 2017, the place Lagos state authorities forcibly and violently evicted greater than 30,000 residents from the Otodo-Gbame group, an off-the-cuff fishing settlement on the outskirts of Lagos metropolis. The movie follows a younger mom (Temiloluwa Ami-Williams) from a waterfront slum who stumbles upon a hoard of corrupt blood cash. The filmmaking collective consists of seven administrators: James Tayler, Ogungbamila Temitope, Okechukwu Samuel, Mathew Cerf, Edukpo Tina, Bisola Akinmuyiwa and A.S. Elijah.
Documentaries
Backyard Cinema
Mom of All Lies (http://apo-opa.co/3ZMeysM) (2023, Morocco/Egypt/Qatar/Saudi Arabia) is an Arabic-language documentary directed by Asmae El Moudir. The movie, which took eight years to make, explores El Moudir’s seek for reality in her household’s background. El Moudir crafts a set of miniature clay collectible figurines to recreate her childhood road in Casablanca, Morocco. Household, mates, and neighbours work together with the miniatures, reflecting upon their previous to unravel their collective historical past, particularly the 1981 Casablanca Bread Riots which resulted within the bloodbath of many residents. El Moudir gained the Un Sure Regard Finest Director award at Cannes for the movie.
Bertha DocHouse
Dwelling of UK documentary, Bertha DocHouse, is screening Billy Woodberry’s documentary Mário (http://apo-opa.co/3zEoud0) (2024, France), which explores the legacy of Mário Pinto de Andrade, a key determine in African revolutionary and anti-colonial struggles. Spending a life in exile, he fought tirelessly for African sovereignty. Woodberry is among the main administrators of the L.A. Riot movie motion, a technology of younger African and African American filmmakers who created a Black different to Hollywood.
Tongo Saa (Rising Up at Night time) (http://apo-opa.co/3ZK7n4j) (2024, Democratic Republic of the Congo/Belgium/Germany/Burkina Faso/Qatar) by Nelson Makengo follows the residents of Kinshasa after plans to construct the biggest energy plant within the Congo plunge 17 million individuals into darkness and insecurity.
Restored African Classics
Ciné Lumière
At Ciné Lumière in South Kensington (26 October – 3 November) Movie Africa will showcase movies restored by The World Cinema Mission, a non-profit based by Martin Scorsese in 1995 to protect seminal movies from all over the world.
These embrace the groundbreaking Mandabi (1968, France/Senegal), the first-ever characteristic shot in an African language (Wolof), directed by Ousmane Sembène. Additionally, screening is Chronicle of the Years of Fireplace (1975, Algeria), directed by Mohammed Lakhdar-Hamina. This historic drama, which gained the Palme d’Or at Cannes, portrays the Algerian Struggle of Independence (1954–1962) by way of the eyes of a peasant. One other notable screening is Timité Bassori’s The Girl with the Knife (1969, Ivory Coast), an African basic which follows an Ivorian man haunted by visions of a mysterious girl with a knife symbolising Africa’s wrestle to reclaim its cultural heritage.
Complementing the screening programme at Ciné Lumière will likely be a symposium on African movie restoration on 26 October. This occasion will characteristic practitioners and business leaders from the world of movie restoration and archiving, together with Didi Cheeka (researcher and archivist), Pedro Pimenta (producer and archivist), Cecilia Cenciarelli (Cineteca di Bologna), and Aboubakar Sanogo (AFHP/FEPACI), moderated by Dr June Givanni, a pioneering worldwide movie archivist and founding father of the June Givanni Pan African Cinema Archive.
“Acknowledging the historic challenges confronted by African filmmakers in preserving their cinematic heritage, the symposium goals to shine a lightweight on present efforts to revive and repatriate Africa’s wealthy movie legacy. Bringing collectively specialists, business leaders, and policymakers, this symposium is not going to solely discover the technical and cultural sides of movie restoration but additionally delve into the broader questions of possession, preservation, and the moral dimensions of cultural restitution. This crucial dialog will present invaluable insights into how we will collectively make sure that the artistry of African filmmakers continues to be celebrated and accessible for generations to return.” – stated Keith Shiri.
Quick Movies
South London Gallery
Movie Africa’s ‘View and Dine’ shorts programme will likely be held on the South London Gallery in Peckham. Movies will likely be accompanied by African delicacies and discover themes from gender, sexuality and like to local weather change, migration and African politics. Among the many lineup is Gboroka (http://apo-opa.co/3ZFxmd2) (2024, Sierra Leone) by Hickmatu Bintu Leigh, a thought-provoking perception into the wealthy tapestry of the Bondo tradition, an all-female secret society in West Africa, and its relationship to feminine genital mutilation (FGM).
Black Corporeal (Respiration by Numbers) (2022, United Kingdom?) is a strong artwork movie by acclaimed artist and South London poet Julianknxx, highlighting the disproportionate impression of air air pollution in inner-city London. The movie is anchored by the voice of grassroots campaigner Rosamund Adoo-Kissi-Debrah CBE, whose 9-year-old daughter Ella was the primary individual on this planet to have air air pollution listed as a explanation for dying.
The programme additionally showcases brief movies about queer Ghanaian lives, exploring familial, platonic and romantic relationships skilled by queer African individuals and the diaspora amid elevated tensions incited by anti-LGBTQ+ politics in Ghana. Nyame Mma (http://apo-opa.co/47R4e4K) or ‘Youngsters of God’ (2024, Ghana) follows Kwamena (Kobina Amissah-Sam) a younger man who returns dwelling after his father’s sudden dying. The movie affords a nuanced perspective on how isolating grief could be for queer, African males. Director Joewackle J Kusi was within the technique of ending the movie when an anti-LGBTQ+ invoice was handed in Ghana, placing solid and crew in danger.
The award-winning movie Reluctantly Queer (http://apo-opa.co/3BoDP1P) (2016, Ghana) was directed by Akosua Adoma Owusu and follows a younger Ghanaian man (Kwame Edwin Otu) who struggles to reconcile his love for his mom together with his sexuality.
Dzifa (http://apo-opa.co/3ZFRUSL) (2022, nation?) is an intimate drama directed by Savannah Acquah, which follows a queer couple as they navigate the nuances of their relationship. The movie explores the multifaceted experiences of younger Black queer individuals residing within the UK, rewriting depictions of a solely homophobic West African ‘Motherland’.
The shorts programme additionally consists of animation, music, Afro-surrealism and French cinema.
Trade Occasions, Workshops&Extra
Workshops embrace Movie Lab Africa (25 October – 3 November), a panel showcasing rising younger expertise from Lagos, Nigeria, co-hosted by the British Arts Council. It is a cornerstone of the British Council’s Inventive Financial system initiative, designed to nurture rising filmmakers and TV producers in Nigeria.
Movie Africa LIVE! on the Ritzy in Brixton will present a possibility to rejoice the colourful musical creativity of African cinema. Attendees will likely be serenaded by soulful tunes, escalating to an electrifying dance get together with a DJ. To enrich the festivities, drinks and a wide range of scrumptious African delicacies will likely be served.
Movie Africa is proud to help rising expertise in African cinema by way of prestigious awards such because the Baobab Award for Finest Quick Movie and the Viewers Award for Finest Function Movie. These honours goal to highlight up-and-coming filmmakers, offering a platform to showcase their work to a worldwide viewers. Winners of every class will likely be awarded £1,000 for every prize, sponsored by Rolling Stone Africa.
The pageant is appropriate for households, that includes kids’s animation Girl Buckit and the Motley Mopsters (http://apo-opa.co/4eGJGxW) (2020, Nigeria) on the Ciné Lumière, the primary Nigerian feature-length animated movie directed by Adebisi Adetayo on 3 November. A number of movies from the pageant may also be obtainable on BFI Participant.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Royal African Society.
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About The Royal African Society:
The Royal African Society is a membership organisation devoted to enhancing understanding of Africa within the UK and past and harnessing the ability of the narrative to advertise engagement and funding between Africa and the UK throughout all sectors. The Society makes use of its flagship cultural occasions to highlight Africa’s numerous cultures, heritages, and present affairs to the widest doable viewers, in addition to to exhibit the huge innovation and expertise throughout the artistic industries on the continent. Africa’s quite a few movie industries, catering to the continent’s numerous cultures and lots of languages, are an enormous progress space, bringing in vital funding and creating hundreds of jobs, together with within the newest applied sciences.
For extra data go to https://RoyalAfricanSociety.org/
About Movie Africa:
Movie Africa is London’s largest biennial pageant celebrating one of the best African cinema from throughout the continent and diaspora dropped at you by the Royal African Society. Established in 2011, the pageant brings numerous London and UK audiences a high-quality and wide-ranging movie programme accompanied by a vibrant collection of occasions, together with director Q&As, talks, and panel discussions; workshops and masterclasses; Movie Africa Younger Audiences faculty screenings and household actions; and Movie Africa LIVE! music nights. Movie Africa additionally recognises and helps new film-making expertise by way of the Baobab Award for Finest Quick Movie and the Viewers Award for Finest Function Movie.
Movie Africa has been produced to be wholly inclusive, following steering from the BFI Movie Viewers Community and in partnership with Deaffest (http://apo-opa.co/3BiDOMP), most of the movies may have subtitles and/or BSL, screening instances throughout the night and weekends, with full venue accessibility, and with relaxed neurodiverse/autism pleasant screenings.
About Keith Shiri, Lead Curator of Movie Africa 2024:
Keith Shiri is a Zimbabwean movie curator and programme advisor to a number of movie festivals, together with London Movie Pageant, Venice Movie Pageant, Berlin Worldwide Movie Pageant, Dubai Worldwide Movie Pageant, Pan African Movie and Tv Pageant of Ouagadougou and Tampere Movie Pageant.
For extra details about the pageant go to www.FilmAfrica.org