New African Film Festival--March 8-18
Upcoming Event:
New African Film Festival
March 8-18, 2018
AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center,
8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, MD 20910
Africa World Now Project, afrikafé and AFI present the 14th Annual New African Film Festival March 8-18, 2018. The festival showcases the vibrancy of African filmmaking from all corners of the continent, at AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, 8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, MD 20910; and returning for its third year, the African Marketplace, where attendees can shop local vendors selling African home goods, clothing, jewelry, books, and art.
Opening night features the Cannes-premiered magic-realist fable I AM NOT A WITCH from Zambian-Welsh filmmaker Rungano Nyoni and featuring 27 films from 20 countries. Other highlights include acclaimed South African body-swap comedy HIGH FANTASY; Senegal's 2018 Oscar? selection FéLICITé, winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2017 Berlin Film Festival and winner of the Golden Stallion award at FESPACO 2017; Nollywood box office sensation THE ROYAL HIBISCUS HOTEL; the U.S. Premiere of acclaimed Kenyan cinematographer Likarion Wainaina’s feature debut SUPA MODO, a touching superhero tale produced by Tom Tykwer (RUN LOLA RUN); a special screening of the 2007 epicNAMIBIA: THE STRUGGLE FOR LIBERATION, featuring a Q&A with 2017 Governors Award honoree Charles Burnett; and a recent restoration of Mauritanian-French director Med Hondo's seminal 1969 classic SOLEIL ?.
See them all with the New African Film Festival (NAFF) All-Access pass.
With the pass, you have priority access to every screening — no tickets needed! The pass grants you admission for one to every screening in the 2018 New African Film Festival including Opening and Closing Night. Valued at more than $350!
NAFF All-Access Pass: Early Bird (Feb. 16-27): $130/$110 AFI Members Regular: $150/$130 AFI Members.
Individual Tickets: $13. No passes accepted.
Click here for schedule and more information or email [email protected]; or see schedule below.
New African Film Festival March 8-18, 2018 Schedule
Opening Night I AM NOT A WITCH – Zambia Thurs, March 8, 7:15 p.m. Part magical-realist fable and part gendered social critique, Rungano Nyoni's debut feature focuses on nine-year-old Shula (an unforgettable Margaret Mulubwa). Accused of witchcraft, Shula is banished from her village in Zambia and sent to a "witch camp" to live alongside other exiled women. As is the custom, Shula is fitted with a spindle on her back, from which a long white ribbon runs: a "security measure" to ensure she won't fly off. On her first night in the camp, she's told she may cut the ribbon, but that doing so will turn her into a goat. As Shula navigates her new life, she must decide whether to accept her fate or risk the consequences of seeking freedom. Upending all conventions of onscreen sorcery, Nyoni offers a fresh cinematic vision which blends deadpan humor, surrealism, and empathetic indignation. (Note adapted from Toronto International Film Festival.) Winner, Best Director, Breakthrough Producer and Douglas Hickox Award, 2017 British Independent Film Awards; Nominee, Outstanding Debut, 2018 BAFTAS; Official Selection, AFI FEST 2017, 2017 Cannes, Toronto, London, and Busan film festivals, 2018 Sundance, Palm Springs and Rotterdam film festivals. DIR/SCR Rungano Nyoni; PROD Juliette Grandmont, Emily Morgan. Zambia/UK/France/Germany, 2017, color, 92 min. In English, Bemba, and Nyanja with English subtitles. NOT RATED Click here for the trailer for I AM NOT A WITCH.
Click here for tickets to I AM NOT A WITCH.
SOLEIL ? [OH, SUN] – Mauritania Thurs, March 8, 9:30 p.m.; Sun, March 11, 12:30 p.m. A giant of first-generation African cinema, Med Hondo was born in Mauritania and has made award-winning films in France, Niger, and Senegal, both as actor and director. Taking its title from a song sung by African captives en route to slavery in the Caribbean, Hondo's SOLEIL ? takes place in an unnamed French colony in West Africa, where black men line up before a white priest for baptism and renaming — the first step in a process that simultaneously deracinates and subjugates them. Encouraged by propaganda, these men arrive in France to seek a better life. What they find is unemployment or a handful of "dirty" jobs, unacceptable living conditions, naked racism and bureaucratic indifference. Searching for a new form, Med Hondo has eschewed all conventional narrative. From the stylized and surreal opening sequences to the episodic adventures of a particular man, the director presents a series of imaginative set pieces, linked by voiceover narrative, that investigate and dramatize a complex of interrelated themes. A scathing attack on colonialism, the film is also a shocking exposé of racism and a brutal and ironic indictment of Western capitalist values. (Note adapted from Cannes Film Festival.) DIR/SCR/PROD Med Hondo. Mauritania/France, 1970, b&w, 98 min. In French and Arabic with English subtitles. NOT RATED
This restoration is part of the African Film Heritage Project, an initiative created by The Film Foundation's World Cinema Project, the Pan African Federation of Filmmakers and UNESCO — in collaboration with Cineteca di Bologna. Restored by Cineteca di Bologna at L'Immagine Ritrovata laboratory in collaboration with Med Hondo. Restoration funded by the George Lucas Family Foundation and The Film Foundation's World Cinema Project.
Click here for tickets to SOLEIL ? [OH, SUN] Thurs, March 8, 9:30 p.m.
Click here for tickets to SOLEIL ? [OH, SUN] Sun, March 11, 12:30 p.m.
MAMA COLONEL - Democratic Republic of Congo Fri, March 9, 5:30 p.m.; Mon, March 12, 5:30 p.m. Colonel Honorine Manyole, commonly known as "Mama Colonel," works for the Congolese police force and heads the unit for the protection of minors and the fight against sexual violence. Having worked for 15 years in Bukavu, in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, she is suddenly transferred to Kisangani, capital of Tshopo province. There, she finds herself faced with new challenges. Through the portrait of this extraordinarily brave and tenacious woman fighting for justice, this documentary addresses the issue of violence toward women and children in the DRC and the difficulty of overcoming the past war. (Note courtesy of Icarus Film.) Grand Prize, 2017 Cinema du Reel Documentary Festival; Jury Prize, Best Forum Film and Tagesspiegel Prize, 2017 Berlin Film Festival; Best Documentary, 2017 Zanzibar International Film Festival; Amnesty International Durban Human Rights Award, 2017 Durban International Film Festival; Best Documentary, 2017 AMAA (Africa Movie Academy Awards). DIR/SCR Dieudo Hamadi; PROD Christian Lelong, Kiripi Katembo Siku. Democratic Republic of Congo/France, 2017, color, 72 min. In Lingala, Swahili, and French with English subtitles. NOT RATED Click here for the trailer of MAMA COLONEL.
Click here for tickets toMAMA COLONEL Fri, March 9, 5:30 p.m.
Click here for tickets to MAMA COLONEL Mon, March 12, 5:30 p.m.
BREATHE IN THE ROOTS – Ethiopia Fri, March 9, 7:15 p.m. Q&A with director Indrias G. Kassaye and subject Ty Christen Joseph This is the story of Ty Christen Joseph, a young African-American English teacher from Brooklyn who goes on a spiritual journey to discover more about his African ancestral heritage. The film tracks Chris' journey on horseback from Addis Ababa to Lalibela, one of Ethiopia's holiest pilgrimage sites, documenting his once-in-a-lifetime experiences and showcasing a side of Ethiopia many rarely get to experience. The film delves into what it means to grow up without knowing where your ancestors came from and offer one man's unique path to reclaiming a lost heritage. (Note adapted from the Anacostia Arts Center.) DIR/SCR/PROD Indrias G. Kassaye. Ethiopia/U.S., 2017, color, 75 min. In English and Amharic with English subtitles. NOT RATED Click here for the trailer of BREATHE IN THE ROOTS.
Click here for tickets to BREATHE IN THE ROOTS.
NAKED REALITY – Cameroon Fri, March 9, 10:00 p.m. The latest from Cameroonian provocateur Jean-Pierre Bekolo (LE PRéSIDENT, QUARTIER MOZART, LES SAIGNANTES) is an experimental Afrofuturistic fable centered around Wanita, a mysterious young woman who embarks on a journey of discovery that might just save humanity. One hundred and fifty years in the future, Africa has become a single, sprawling metropolis controlled by a race of immortal beings, and full of regular mortals dying from a disease called Bad Luck. As Wanita leaves home one morning, a prayer to her ancestors unwittingly starts her on a path to the Dimsi — another dimension, invisible to the eye, but discoverable by the soul. Can Wanita follow her DNA to break free from the shackles of the immortals? A purposely unfinished work, NAKED REALITY boldly leaves the audience with a blank canvas to interpret and create, as Bekolo grants viewers access to limitless answers waiting to be unearthed. Official Selection, 2016 Durban International Film Festival. DIR/SCR/PROD Jean-Pierre Bekolo. Cameroon, 2016, b&w, 62 min. In English. NOT RATED Click for the trailer of NAKED REALITY.
Click here for tickets to NAKED REALITY.
WAITHIRA – Kenya Sat, March 10, 11:45 a.m.; Tue, March 13, 5:30 p.m. Director Eva Munyiri left her birth country of Kenya at age 14 and has lived on three different continents since. In this autobiographical portrait of family, migration, and assimilation, Munyir's journey to discover more about her paternal grandmother, Waithira, leads her to Germany, Wales, and Kenya, where her two cousins and eldest sister — all named Waithira — live. Weaving a tapestry of two generations of African women from the fragments of these three women's lives, as well as the recollections of her 80-year-old uncle Kamau, who lives on the family's traditional land in Kenya, WAITHIRA explores the director's intimate history and its intersections with forgotten Kenyan history, pop culture and the diaspora. The film seeks to investigate how our known, unknown and imagined past impacts our lives. (Note adapted from Rushlake Media.) Official Selection, 2017 Encounters South Africa and Durban film festivals. DIR/SCR/PROD Eva Munyiri; PROD Jean Meeran. Kenya/South Africa, 2017, color, 72 min. In English and Kikuyu with English subtitles. NOT RATED Click here for the trailer of WAITHIRA.
Click here for tickets to WAITHIRA Sat, March 10, 11:45 a.m.
Click here for tickets to WAITHIRA Tue, March 13, 5:30 p.m.
LIYANA – Swaziland Sat, March 10, 1:30 p.m.; Wed, March 14, 5:30 p.m. In this beautifully animated documentary-hybrid, a Swazi girl named Liyana embarks on a dangerous quest to rescue her young twin brothers. Created by five orphaned children in Swaziland under the guidance of acclaimed South African storyteller Gcina Mhlophe, LIYANA is an incredible work of collaboration that tells a story of perseverance drawn from the children's darkest memories and brightest dreams. The fictional character's journey is interwoven with poetic and observational documentary scenes to create a genre-defying celebration of collective storytelling. As their fairytale is brought to life with colorful animation, intimate accounts of the children's daily lives echo into Liyana's fictional adventure and provide an unparalleled perspective of one of the world's most vulnerable populations. Winner, Best Documentary, 2017 LA Film Festival. Grand Prize – Documentary Feature, 2017 Heartland Film Festival. Award for Artistic Bravery, 2017 Durban International Film Festival. Official Selection, 2017 London and Mill Valley film festivals, 2018 Palm Springs and Miami film festivals. DIR/SCR/PROD Aaron Kopp, Amanda Kopp; PROD Davis Coombe, Sakheni Dlamini, Daniel Junge. Swaziland/Qatar/U.S., 2017, color, 77 min. In English. NOT RATED; recommended for ages 10+
Click here for tickets to LIYANA Sat, March 10, 1:30 p.m.
Click here for tickets to LIYANA Wed, March 14, 5:30 p.m.
U.S. Premiere SUPA MODO – Kenya Sat, March 10, 3:30 p.m.; Thurs, March 15, 5:30 p.m. The touching feature debut from Kenyan director Likarion Wainaina, co-produced by Tom Tykwer (RUN LOLA RUN), tells the inspiring story of nine-year-old Jo (Stycie Waweru, in her acting debut), a young woman battling terminal illness who dreams of being a superhero. Against all odds and battling the clock, Jo's rebellious teenage sister Mwix, her overprotective mother Kathryn and the entire village of Maweni come together to make Jo's last wish a reality. In the age of BLACK PANTHER, Wainaina succeeds in creating an equally compelling African superhero, as well as a deeply moving tribute to the comforting value of imagination in the face of adversity. Official Selection, 2018 Berlin Film Festival. DIR Likarion Wainaina; SCR Wanjeri Gakuru, Silas Miami, Kamau Wa Ndung'u, Mugambi Nthiga; PROD Sarika Hemi Lakhani, Marie Steinmann-Tykwer, Tom Tykwer, Ginger Wilson, Guy Wilson. Kenya/Germany, 2018, color, 74 min. In English, Kikuyu and Swahili with English subtitles. NOT RATED
Click here for tickets of SUPA MODO Sat, March 10, 3:30 p.m.
Click here for tickets to SUPA MODO Thurs, March 15, 5:30 p.m.
POTATO POTAHTO – Ghana Sat, March 10, 5:15 p.m.; Wed, March 14, 9:15 p.m. A divorced couple who decide to share equal space in their ex-matrimonial home soon realize that this ingenious idea is easier said than done. Bent on flexing their egos and scoring points, Tony (Nigerian star O.C. Ukeje, HALF OF A YELLOW SUN, THE ROYAL HIBISCUS HOTEL) and Lulu (Ghanaian TV star Joselyn Dumas) devise various hilarious tactics that soon inflame jealousy and elevate an already complicated situation into a roller-coaster ride. Prolific Ghanaian director Shirley Frimpong-Manso reunites Ukeje and Dumas, following their roles in her 2014 film LOVE OR SOMETHING LIKE IT, and the duo reproduce their onscreen chemistry in this colorful comedy of manners. The strong supporting cast includes Joke Silva, Blossom Chukwujekwu, Chris Attoh, Lala Akindoju, Nikki Samonas, Adjetey Anang and Victoria Micheals. (Note adapted from Film Africa UK.) Official Selection, 2017 Film Africa UK. DIR/SCR/PROD Shirley Frimpong-Manso; PROD Ken Attoh, Sarah Inya Lawal. Ghana/Nigeria, 2017, color, 115 min. In English. NOT RATED Click here for the trailer of POTATO POTAHTO.
Click here for tickets to POTATO POTAHTO Sat, March 10, 5:15 p.m.
Click here for tickets to POTATO POTAHTO Wed, March 14, 9:15 p.m.
THE ROYAL HIBISCUS HOTEL – Nigeria Sat, March 10, 7:45 p.m.; Mon, March 12, 9:20 p.m. In this sprightly Nollywood romantic comedy, Ope (Zainab Balogun, THE WEDDING PARTY) is struggling to make it as a chef in London. She dreams of opening her own Afro-fusion restaurant, but after some setbacks decide to head home to Lagos to reinvigorate her family's hotel. Little does she know, however, that her parents (played by Nollywood icons Jide Kosoko and Rachel Oniga) are planning on selling the establishment. The plot takes another tasty twist when the buyer turns out to be none other than the eye-catching Deji (former Mr. Nigeria Kenneth Okolie). Will this setup be a recipe for disaster or one for true love? Director Ishaya Bako (ROAD TO YESTERDAY) brings a playful quality to his sophomore feature and captures the unmistakable chemistry between his leads. Backed by the strong ensemble cast and executive-produced by mogul Mo Abudu, THE ROYAL HIBISCUS HOTEL is a tale of navigating careers and love — and finding a way to have your cake and eat it, too. (Note adapted from Toronto International Film Festival.) Official Selection, 2017 Toronto Film Festival. DIR Ishaya Bako; SCR Nicole Brown, Yinka Ogun, Debo Oluwatuminu; PROD Keni Ogunlola. Nigeria, 2017, color, 90 min. In English. NOT RATED Click here for the trailer of THE ROYAL HIBISCUS HOTEL.
Click here for tickets of THE ROYAL HIBISCUS HOTEL Sat, March 10, 7:45 p.m.
Click here for tickets of THE ROYAL HIBISCUS HOTEL Mon, March 12, 9:20 p.m.
HIGH FANTASY – South Africa Sat, March 10, 10:00 p.m.; Tue, March 13, 9:45 p.m. Lexi and her friends Xoli, Tatiana and Thami head to her family's isolated Northern Cape farm for an overnight camping trip, capturing the excursion on their cell phones. When they awake the next morning to discover they've all swapped bodies, the friends are forced to examine each other's identities in the labyrinth of so-called "rainbow nation" politics. Co-written and lensed by director Jenna Bass and her actors, using an iPhone, HIGH FANTASY is an authentic look at the racial and gender politics of living in South Africa (and, really, the world) in 2017. Bass' sophomore feature is a cathartic experience that allows viewers to examine their own identity politics long after the credits roll. (Note courtesy of AFI FEST presented by Audi.) Official Selection, 2017 Toronto Film Festival, AFI FEST 2017, 2018 Berlin Film Festival. DIR/SCR Jenna Cato Bass; SCR Qondiswa James, Nala Khumalo, Francesca Varrie Michel, Liza Scholtz, Loren Loubser; PROD David Horler, Steven Markovitz. South Africa/ Luxembourg, 2017, color, 71 min. In Afrikaans with English subtitles. NOT RATED Click here for the trailer of HIGH FANTASY.
Click here for tickets of HIGH FANTASY Sat, March 10, 10:00 p.m.
Click here for tickets of HIGH FANTASY Tue, March 13, 9:45 p.m.
2018 Oscar? Selection, Senegal FéLICITé(2017) – Senegal (Set in Democratic Republic of Congo) Sun, March 11, 2:45 p.m. Félicité (singer Véro Tshanda Beya Mputu, in her first major film role) is a proud, fiercely independent single mother who works as a singer in the Congolese capital of Kinshasa. When her 14-year-old son suffers a terrible — and expensive — traffic accident, Félicité's life is thrown into turmoil. In order to raise the money for his operation, she sets out on a frantic race through the streets of Kinshasa. As Félicité's journey unfolds, a soundtrack performed by the Congolese musical collective Kasa? Allstars, with arrangements by Orchestre Symphonique Kimbanguiste, breathes life into every moment of her struggle. Winner, Golden Stallion award at FESPACO 2017; Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize, 2017 Berlin Film Festival; Special Jury Prize, 2017 Chicago Film Festival; FIPRESCI Prize, 2018 Palm Springs Film Festival; Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Editing, Best Soundtrack and Best Film in an African Language, 2017 AMAA (Africa Movie Academy Awards); Official Selection, 2017 Toronto and New York film festivals. DIR/SCR/PROD Alain Gomis; PROD Arnaud Dommerc, Oumar Sall. Senegal/France/Belgium/Germany/Lebanon, 2017, color, 123 min. In Lingala and French with English subtitles. NOT RATED Click here for the trailer of FéLICITé.
Click here for tickets to FéLICITé.
WINNIE - South Africa Sun, March 11, 5:30 p.m. Winnie Madikizela Mandela is one of the most supremely controversial, misunderstood and intriguingly powerful contemporary female political figures. Her rise and seeming fall from grace bear the hallmarks of epic tragedy. Pascale Lamche's (BLACK DIAMOND) documentary pieces together and properly considers her life and struggle to bring down apartheid from the inside, with intimate insight from those who were closest to her and with testimony from the enemies who sought to extinguish her radical capacity to shake up the order of things. While her husband Nelson Mandela was kept, paradoxically, both safe and morally uncontaminated, in jail for 27 long years, Winnie rode the tumultuous violence of a life of struggle far from the safety of exile abroad, eyeball-to-eyeball with a seemingly immutable and vicious apartheid enemy controlling the country. (Note adapted from Pumpernickel Films.) Winner, Directing Award, World Cinema Documentary, 2017 Sundance Film Festival. Official Selection, 2017 Hot Docs, Seattle and Film Africa UK film festivals. DIR/SCR Pascale Lamche; PROD Christoph J?rg. South Africa/France/Netherlands/Finland, 2017, color, 98 min. In English. NOT RATED Click here for the trailer of WINNIE.
Click here for tickets to WINNIE.
BORDERS (2017) [FRONTIèRES] - Burkina Faso Sun, March 11, 7:20 p.m. The paths of four very different women converge in this free-spirited, at times gritty, road movie set across western Africa. Each is making the long trip from Bamako in Mali to Nigeria's bustling capital of Lagos, passing through Burkina Faso and Benin on the way. Crammed together on a stifling bus, they take in the breathtaking landscapes of coastal and Sahelian countries. But when bus breakdowns, traffic jams, highway robbers, fights between passengers and, worst of all, corrupt and violent border customs officers cause problems, these initially private women join forces. BORDERS is affecting and at times funny drama about female friendship and empowerment, which also highlights a growing regional problem in West Africa, where lack of integration is thwarting policies on the free circulation of people and goods. (Note adapted from Film Africa UK.) Winner, Best West African Film, and Félix Houphou?t-Boigny Prize, 2017 FESPACO; Audience Award, 2017 World Cinema Amsterdam. Official Selection, 2017 Film Africa UK, 2017 Seattle International Film Festival. DIR/SCR/PROD Apolline Traoré. Burkina Faso/France, 2017, color, 90 min. In French with English subtitles. NOT RATED Click here for the trailer of BORDERS [FRONTIèRES].
Click here for tickets to BORDERS [FRONTIèRES].
FIVE FINGERS FOR MARSEILLES[MENOANA E MEHLANO EA MARSEILLES] – South Africa Sun, March 11, 9:15 p.m.; Thurs, March 15, 9:15 p.m. Near the colonial town of Marseilles in the rugged Eastern Cape of South Africa, a group of rebellious friends dubbed the Five Fingers uses well-placed eggs and slingshots to drive off the oppressive police force. But when the cops seize quick tempered Tau's (Vuyo Dabula) childhood love, Lerato (Zethu Dlomo), he goes from throwing eggs to shooting bullets. Scared of capture or worse, Tau flees, returning 20 years later to a town, and friends, transformed by the violence caused that day. With the crooked cops now replaced by a caustic gang, Tau must marshal what remains of the Fingers to once again defend their home. Steeped in the tradition of the Western, FIVE FINGERS FOR MARSEILLES subverts the genre by placing the story within the indigenous community, with the settlers and the divisions brought on by colonialism shown to be the enemy. (Note adapted from the Toronto International Film Festival.) Official Selection, 2017 Toronto, and London film festivals, 2018 Palm Springs Film Festival. DIR/PROD Michael Matthews; SCR/PROD Sean Drummond; PROD Asger Hussain, Yaron Schwartzman. South Africa, 2017, color, 120 min. In Xhosa and Southern Sotho with English subtitles. NOT RATED Click here for the trailer of FIVE FINGERS FOR MARSEILLES [MENOANA E MEHLANO EA MARSEILLES].
T-JUNCTION – Tanzania Mon, March 12, 7:15 p.m. Amil Shivji's debut feature explores the friendship between Maria and Fatima, two young women who meet at a hospital after the passing of Fatima's estranged father. As the pair slowly begin to exchange stories, we meet Maria's friends and family, owners of a market stall in Dar-es-Salaam called T-Junction, where they experience love and laughter alongside the harsh reality of police brutality. Lonely and grieving, Fatima is drawn to a family story so different from her own and returns to learn more about Maria and her community. As their relationship strengthens, Maria resuscitates Fatima's sense of hope and life. Winner of the European African Film Festivals Award at the 2017 Zanzibar International Film Festival, T-JUNCTION succeeds in being both funny and thought-provoking. The work of a promising new talent, the film also boasts two fantastic female newcomers. Winner, European African Film Festivals Award, 2017 Zanzibar International Film Festival. Official Selection, 2017 Africa in Motion Film Festival. DIR/SCR/PROD Amil Shivji. Tanzania, 2017, color, 105 min. In Swahili with English subtitles. NOT RATED Click here for the trailer of T-JUNCTION.
Click here for tickets to T-JUNCTION.
2018 Oscar? Selection, Morocco RAZZIA – Morocco Tue, March 13, 7:15 p.m. Spanning decades and locations, RAZZIA weaves an intricate tale of lost loves, forbidden desires and fragile dreams in modern-day Morocco. In 1982, against the starkly beautiful landscapes of the Atlas Mountains, an idealistic teacher (Amine Ennaji) passionately works to expand the minds of the village children. Cut to Casablanca, 2015. Here we encounter the headstrong Salima (Maryam Touzani, co-screenwriter), who refuses the traditional stereotypes of wife and mother; a Jewish café owner, Monsieur Joe (Arieh Worthalter), caught between honoring his past and his desires; the troubled bourgeois teen Inès (Dounia Binebine); and part-time singer, full-time Freddie Mercury fan Hakim (Abdelilah Rachid). Though these lives are disparate, director and co-writer Nabil Ayouch (MUCH LOVED) navigates their realities nimbly, evoking a complex tapestry of life in this capital city. With references to Michael Curtiz's CASABLANCA and infused with an evocatively eerie score, RAZZIA (from Algerian Arabic, meaning "raid") is a formidable work of multiperspectivity. (Note adapted from Toronto International Film Festival.) Official Selection, 2017 Toronto, London film festivals; 2018 International Film Festival Rotterdam. DIR/SCR Nabil Ayouch; SCR Maryam Touzani; PROD Bruno Nahon. Morocco/France/Belgium, 2017, color, 120 min. In French, Arabic, and Berber with English subtitles. NOT RATED Click here for the trailer of RAZZIA.
Click here for tickets to RAZZIA.
2018 Oscar? Selection, Egypt SHEIKH JACKSON [AL SHEIKH JACKSON] – Egypt Wed, March 14, 7:15 p.m.; Sun, March 18, 9:45 p.m. June 25, 2009. Any Michael Jackson fan can tell you where they were on this date, the day the King of Pop died. Director and writer Amr Salama (ASMAA, EXCUSE MY FRENCH, ON A DAY LIKE TODAY) transports us back to that moment through the eyes — and the kaleidoscopic, MTV-inspired dreams — of a young imam (Ahmad Alfishawy) whose devout life is thrown into chaos by Jackson's death. The tabloid event triggers memories of his teen years (played by rising star Ahmed Malek) when he worshiped everything Jackson did, from the "Thriller"-era haircut to the bondage pants from the Bad tour. But Jackson's passing also stirs up emotions around the death of the young cleric's mother and its aftermath, when his gruff father (Maged El Kedwany) offered little support. With the sheikh's past increasingly encroaching on the present, he begins to question not just how to moonwalk but what it means to be a man, to have faith and to be true to oneself. (Note adapted from Toronto International Film Festival.) Official Selection, 2017 Toronto, and London film festivals. DIR/SCR Amr Salama; SCR Omar Khaled; PROD Mohamed Hefzy, Hani Osama. Egypt, 2017, color, 93 min. In Arabic with English subtitles. NOT RATED Click here for the trailer of SHEIKH JACKSON [AL SHEIKH JACKSON].
Click here for tickets to SHEIKH JACKSON [AL SHEIKH JACKSON] Wed, March 14, 7:15 p.m.
Click here for tickets to SHEIKH JACKSON [AL SHEIKH JACKSON] Sun, March 18, 9:45 p.m.
UNTIL THE BIRDS RETURN [EN ATTENDANT LES HIRONDELLES] – Algeria Thurs, March 15, 7:15 p.m. Karim Moussaoui's feature debut explores three diverse stories which plunge us into the human soul of contemporary Algerian society. Past and present collide in the lives of a newly wealthy property developer (Mohamed Djouhri), an ambitious neurologist (Hassan Kachach) impeded by wartime wrongdoings, and a young woman (Hania Amar, THE NILE HILTON INCIDENT) torn between the path of reason and sentiment. Moussaoui's evocative and tender portrait of his homeland weaves together these narrative strands to create a complex and nuanced representation of a country that has many more stories left to tell. (Note adapted from KimStim Films.) Winner, Best Editing, 2017 Carthage Film Festival; Jury's Special Award, Best Artistic Direction, 2017 Gijon Film Festival. Official Selection, 2017 Cannes, Warsaw, and Vienna film festivals. DIR/SCR Karim Moussaoui; SCR Maud Ameline; PROD Philippe Martin, David Thion. Algeria/France/Germany, 2017, color, 113 min. In Arabic and French with English subtitles. NOT RATED Click here for the trailer of UNTIL THE BIRDS RETURN [EN ATTENDANT LES HIRONDELLES].
Click here for tickets to UNTIL THE BIRDS RETURN [EN ATTENDANT LES HIRONDELLES].
THE AFRICAN STORM [L'ORAGE AFRICAIN: UN CONTINENT SOUS INFLUENCE] – Benin Fri, March 16, 5:15 p.m. Beninese actor-director Sylvestre Amoussou's (AFRICA PARADIS) latest feature is a bold parable about the colonization and exploitation of Africa's land and natural resources. Set in a fictitious, diamond-rich African nation called Tangara, the film charts the fallout after the nation's president (Amoussou) decides to nationalize all means of production built on its territory by non-Tangarans. Seeing their business interests slipping away, the Western corporations that have been mining the land for decades will resort to any available means to reclaim their mines, but the people and politicians of Tangara will not back down. Amoussou's refreshing political perspective won the film second prize at FESPACO 2017 in Ouagadougou, where it received a rapturous reception. Winner, Silver Stallion, 2017 FESPACO. DIR/SCR/PROD Sylvestre Amoussou. Republic of Benin/France, 2017, color, 89 min. In French with English subtitles. NOT RATED Click here for the trailer of THE AFRICAN STORM [L'ORAGE AFRICAIN: UN CONTINENT SOUS INFLUENCE].
Click here for tickets to THE AFRICAN STORM [L'ORAGE AFRICAIN: UN CONTINENT SOUS INFLUENCE].
I WON'T BEAR NO MORE aka I WILL NOT BEAR TOMORROW [YENEGEN ALWELDIM???? ??????] – Ethiopia Fri, March 16, 7:15 p.m.; Sat, March 17, 9:00 p.m. At a time of round-the-clock curfews, government surveillance and streets littered with the bodies of "anti-revolutionaries," Adugna (played by veteran journalist Berhanu Degafe) struggles to maintain some normality and train his football team. When the team's rising stars are put under surveillance, Adugna's wife pleads with him to quit his passion and conform, but he knows this would mean forcible recruitment into the government-approved security force. Based on the book by sports journalist Genene Mekuria, Abraham Gezahegne's (THE BEST MEN, THE SCENT OF LEMON) film depicts one of Ethiopia's darkest moments and uses football as a beacon of hope and distraction from the impounding fear of the Qey Shibir (Red Terror) of 1977–78. (Note adapted from Film Africa UK.) Official Selection, 2017 Film Africa UK. DIR/SCR/PROD Abraham Gezahegne, from the book by Genene Mekuria. Ethiopia, 2016, b&w, 118 min. In Amharic with English subtitles. NOT RATED Click here for the trailer of I WON'T BEAR NO MORE aka I WILL NOT BEAR TOMORROW [YENEGEN ALWELDIM ???? ??????].
HER BROKEN SHADOW – Uganda Fri, March 16, 9:45 p.m. In Uganda's first sci-fi film, two lonely writers struggle with their novels in different dimensions. Adongo lives in East Africa in the near future, while Apio lives on a distant planet far into the next millennium, but the pair is almost identical. When the boundary between their worlds collapses, the two women discover that each is the creation of the other — that they are both protagonists in the novel the other is striving to complete. As they scramble to understand the nature of their existence and the strange nature of their connection, reality and fantasy blur, and the women are tasked with finding a way to avoid descending into madness. Director Dilman Dila expertly uses his sci-fi premise to explore the human condition and the nature of communication and isolation in contemporary society. Official Selection, 2017 Durban, Luxor, and Africa in Motion film festivals. DIR/SCR/PROD Dilman Dila. Uganda, 2016, color, 75 min. In English. NOT RATED Click here for the trailer of HER BROKEN SHADOW.
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WALLAY - Burkina Faso Sat, March 17, 5:00 p.m. A winning combination of witty comedy and sweet-natured drama, WALLAY finds a young boy coming of age in a different culture. Following the death of his French mother, 13-year-old Ady (Makan Nathan Diarra) lives alone with his father in Lyon. Edging toward delinquency, Ady is sent to his father's hometown in Burkina Faso. Once there, he is entrusted to the guardianship of his uncle, a fisherman, and disciplinarian who intends to put the boy back on the right track. To do so, he decides that Ady needs to learn the ways and traditions of his family's culture, with mixed results. By contrast, Ady's grandmother is a gentlewoman who sees in the boy a deep reservoir of grief. She offers Ady the love that he has missed since his mother died. An all-too-relevant tale about finding one's place in the world, WALLAY was inspired by director Berni Goldblat's own mixed cultural identity as Swiss-Polish-Swedish-Burkinabe. (Note adapted from BFI London Film Festival.) Official Selection, 2017 Berlin, Durban, and London film festivals. DIR Berni Goldblat; SCR David Bouchet; PROD Nicolas Anthomé. Burkina Faso/France, 2017, color, 84 min. In French and Dioula with English subtitles. NOT RATED Click here for the trailer of WALLAY.
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CHATEAU (2017) [LA VIE DE CH?TEAU] – France Sat, March 17, 7:00 p.m. Dapperly dressed Charles (Jacky Ido, IN THE MORNING, INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS), nicknamed the Prince, is the charismatic leader of a group of hustlers that cajole potential clients into the hair salons around Paris' Chateau d'Eau metro station. But Charles has dreams of his own — settling down and owning Mourat's failing barber shop. This film paints a kaleidoscopic portrait of daily life in a working-class area of Paris, captivatingly seen through the eyes of the employees and clientele of the African hair salons located there, with a more general homage to the French capital and the resourcefulness and vivacity of the people who live in it. Official Selection, 2017 London, and Chicago film festivals. DIR/SCR Modi Barry, Cédric Ido; SCR Joseph Denize; PROD Toufik Ayadi, Christophe Barral. France, 2017, color, 81 min. In French with English subtitles. NOT RATED Click here for the trailer of CHATEAU [LA VIE DE CH?TEAU].
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THANK YOU FOR THE RAIN - Kenya Sun, March 18, 2:30 p.m. *also part of the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital Five years ago, Kenyan farmer Kisilu Musya started using his camera to capture the life of his family and his village, and the impact that climate change is having on both. When a violent storm throws him and a Norwegian filmmaker together, we see him transform from father to community leader to activist on the global stage. After starting a communal farmers' movement and calling for action against the extreme consequences of the weather, Kisilu makes it all the way to Oslo and to the high circles of COP21 in Paris — the UN's Framework Convention on Climate Change. This emotional, earnest and essential film about climate change is driven by Kisilu's point of view and addresses a range of issues linked to climate, including urbanization, gender equality, education, access to water, climate refugees and adaptation. Official Selection, 2017 CPH:DOX, Hot Docs, and IDFA film festivals. DIR/SCR Julia Dahr; SCR/PROD Hugh Hartford. Kenya/Norway/UK, 2017, color, 87 min. In English. NOT RATED Click here for the trailer of THANK YOU FOR THE RAIN.
Co-presented with the Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital (DCEFF)
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NAMIBIA: THE STRUGGLE FOR LIBERATION- Namibia Q&A with director Charles Burnett Sun, March 18, 4:30 p.m. Charles Burnett's 2007 epic, starring Carl Lumbly, Danny Glover and Joel Haikali, tells the story of the first president of Namibia, Sam Nujoma, charting his political awakening and his part in his country's fight for its freedom from occupation by South Africa. Rather than a documentary-style history of the long and brutal conflict, the film mixes real and composite characters to explore the spirit and sacrifices of the struggle that culminated in independence in 1990. Covering more than 60 years of history, NAMIBIA details Nujoma's youth, starting from age 14, and the events, people and places that shaped his political consciousness and made him the uncompromising man of action he was to become. NAMIBIA screened at the 2008 New African Film Festival, and we are proud to host this 10th-anniversary event with Charles Burnett in person to discuss the film and his soon-to-be-announced project EDWIN'S WEDDING. DIR/SCR Charles Burnett; PROD Abius Akwaake, Steve Gukas. Namibia, 2007, color, 161 min. In English and Afrikaans with English subtitles. NOT RATED Click here for the trailer of NAMIBIA THE STRUGGLE FOR LIBERATION.
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Closing Night KALUSHI: THE STORY OF SOLOMON MAHLANGU - South Africa Sun, March 18, 7:30 p.m. This is the true story of Solomon Mahlangu, a 19-year-old street salesman from Mamelodi, a ghetto township outside Pretoria in the Gauteng Province of South Africa. After being brutally beaten by apartheid police during the 1976 Soweto uprisings, Solomon (Thabo Rametsi) goes into exile and joins the liberation movement, enrolling in military training in Angola. En route to Johannesburg after completion of his training, his fellow soldier and friend Mondi (Thabo Malema) accidentally provoke a shooting on the streets, killing two innocent civilians and sending the men to trial. Although Mahlangu did not commit the shooting, the state seeks the highest punishment from the court: death by hanging. A hero of the struggle against apartheid, Mahlangu would become an international icon of South Africa's liberation. With a crew and cast consisting solely of South African citizens — a rare occurrence in movies about apartheid — KALUSHI is an examination of grief as well as a historical illustration of political persecution. (Note adapted from Seattle International Film Festival.) Winner, Chairman's Award, 2017 Zanzibar International Film Festival; Best Film, 2017 Luxor African Film Festival. Official Selection, 2017 Seattle, Durban, Camerimage and New York African film festivals. DIR/SCR Mandla Dube; SCR Leon Otto; PROD Walter Ayres, Mandlakayise Walter Dube. South Africa, 2017, color, 107 min. In English, Afrikaans, and Tsotsi-taal with English subtitles. NOT RATED Click here for the trailer of KALUSHI: THE STORY OF SOLOMON MAHLANGU.
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