Bruwn UniuercitÍs fitst lnnual AFRfCAN FíLM FZST/IaL Í10m 80ffS, Guinca Bissru BTTNllSPEGTIUE 204 South ]tlain streel P]0uiücncG, Bl Grile Gu Ginemr Eighteen screenings will be held over five days' Sixteen films (12 features, 4 shorts) from twelve African countries will be shown: Egypt, Morocco/Tunisia, Guinea Bissau, Congo- Kinshasa, Benin, Guinea, Burkina Faso/France, South Africa, Cameroon, Senegal, Tanzania, Ivory Coast. Directors: Philip Rosen Meadow Dibble-Dieng Richard Manning Advisors: Modou Dieng, Réda BensmaÏa, Support: Susan McNeil, Carole Cramer, ADMISSION Students: $3.00 per show, $15.00 pass General : $4.00 per show, $18.00 Pass Elliott Colla Liza Hebert www.brown.edu/aff
Transcript
Bruwn UniuercitÍs fitst lnnual
AFRfCANFíLM FZST/IaL
Í10m 80ffS, Guinca BissruBTTNllSPEGTIUE
204 South ]tlain streel P]0uiücncG, BlGrile Gu Ginemr
Eighteen screenings will be held over five days' Sixteen films(12 features, 4 shorts) from twelve African countries will beshown: Egypt, Morocco/Tunisia, Guinea Bissau, Congo-Kinshasa, Benin, Guinea, Burkina Faso/France, South Africa,Cameroon, Senegal, Tanzania, Ivory Coast.
Directors: Philip RosenMeadow Dibble-DiengRichard Manning
Advisors: Modou Dieng, Réda BensmaÏa,Support: Susan McNeil, Carole Cramer,
ADMISSIONStudents: $3.00 per show, $15.00 passGeneral : $4.00 per show, $18.00 Pass
Elliott CollaLiza Hebert
www.brown.edu/aff
fllm $cheduleWednesdayApril 147:00pm Closed Doors (1" of 2 showings) with Elliott Coila9:30pm Bedwin Hacker (only showing) with Richard Manning
ThursdayApril 154:30pm Mortu Nega (only showing)7:00pm Afro@digital 1t" of 2 showings) with Otivier Barlet9:30pm Si-Gueriki (only showing) with Bruce Whitehouse
FridayApril 164: 30pm Tree of Blood 1t" of 2 showings)7:00pm Director's Introduction: lllåa Fala (t" of 2 showings)
with Flora Gomes9:00pm ROUND TABLE: with Flora Gomes, Olivier Barlet, &
Meadow Dibble-Dieng10:15pm The River (only showing)
Saturday April L712:00pm Me and My White Pal |t" of 2 showings) with Jessica tohns2:00pm African Shotts (only showing) with Meadow Dibbte-Dieng4:00pm Director's Introductionz Fishers of Dar (onty showing)
with Lina Fruzzetti5:30pm Closed Doors (finat showing) with Richard Manning7:30pm Tree of Blood (final showing) with phitip Rosen9:45pm The Blue Eyes of Yonta (onty showing) with phitip Rosen
SundayApril 1812:00pm Afro@digital (final showing) with Anna Mays1:30pm Nha Fala (final showing) with Phitip Rosen3:30pm PANEL: "The State of African Cinema" with Flora Gomes
& scholars Claire Andrade-Watkins, Réda Bensmaiã,& Philip Rosen
7:00pm Wariko (only showing) with Meadow Dibble-Dieng9:30pm Me and My White Pal (finat showing) with Richard Manning
Friday 4/L6l04 @ 9:OOpmROUNDTABLEwith Q&AWith director Flora Gomes, film scholar Olivier Barlet,Meadow Dibble-Dieng (French, Brown) and WinifredLambrecht (RISD) interpreting.
Saturday 4l17l04 @ 4:OOpmDirector's Introduction: Frbåerc of DarLina Fruzzetti (Anthropologç Brown) with Q&A
Sunday 4lLelO4 @ 3:30pmPANEL: "The State of African Cinema" with Q&AWith director Flora Gomes and scholars Claire Andrade-Watkins (Emerson), Réda Bensmaiã (French, Brown)moderated by Philip Rosen (MCM, Brown) and IsabelRod rigues interpreting.
SReCial GUeStS Flora Gomes(Guinea Bissau)Flora (Florentino) Gomes was bornin L949 in Cadique, Guinea Bissau.He studied film in 1972 at theCuban Institute of Arts andCinematography under thedirection of Santiago Alvarezbefore working with filmmakerPaulin S. Vieyra in Senegal. Helater co-directed two short filmsLa reconstruction (TheReconstruction) and Anos no oçalura. In 1987 , he directed his firstfeature film Mortu nega whichreceived two specialcommendations from the jury atthe Venice Film Festival in 1988,then Yonta's Blue Eyes selected
for the "Un certain regard" section at the Cannes Film Festival inL992. Po di sangui (Tree of Blood) was his third feature film,screened in the official competition at Cannes in 1996.
Nha Fala/ My Voice (2002)Po di Sangui/Tree of Blood (1996)Os Olhos Azuis de Yonta/Yonta's Blue eyeS (1992)Mo¡tu Nega / Death Denied (1987)
Olivier Barl€t (rrance)Born in Paris in L952, Olivier Barlet has published numeroustranslations of books both about Africa and written by Africans,along with a number of his own works. Journalist and film critic,Barlet writes for several magazines and journals. He is editor ofthe series "Images Plurielles" with L'Harmattan press, whichadditionally published his award-winning book Les Cinémasd'Afrique noire : le regard en question (1997 prize'Art and Essay'from the National Cinematography Center of France,) translatedinto four languages (English title: African Cinema : Decolonizingthe Gaze, Zed Books 2000.) Since 1997, Barlet has served asEditor-in-Chief of Africultures (L'Harmattan press) a monthlymagazine of African culture. The bilingual French/EnglishAfricultures website features a vast dãtabase on Afriian Cinema.
Claire Andrade-WatkinsEmerson College, Visual and Media ArtsDr. Anárade-Watkins, a historian and filmmaker, has publishedextensively on French- and Portuguese-speaking Africancinema in leading academic journals and film publicationsincluding Framework, Research in African Literatures,International Journal of African History, Journal of VisuatAnthropology, and The Independent. She is co-editor ofBlackframes: Critícal Perspectives on Black IndependentCinema. She was a 1995-1996 Fulbright Scholar in CapeVerde, where she conducted research on indigenous cinema inCape Verde. With a L997 grant from the AmericanPhilosophical Society, she researched colonial cinema inLisbon. She is currently working on an award-winning"documemoite," Some Kind of Funny porto Rican, about theCape Verdean community in Providence, Rhode Island. Other
www.africultures.com
documentaries she produced include The Spirit ofCape Verde, a half-hour documentary celebratingthe bonds between New England, Cape Verde andPresÍdent Aristides Periera's historical first visit tothe United States in 1983. She was an AssociateProducer on "Odyssey", a national pBSanthropology and archaeology documentaryseries, and Assistant to the Producer on Sankofa,an internationally acclaimed feature film on slavery byfilmmaker Haile Gerima.
'ffi
feailled filmmafiercLina FrUzzetti, erown university, Anthropotogya Átos östö r, Wesleya n U n iversity, Anth ro pology
Lina Fruzzetti and Ákos östör have collaborated on a numberof projects, including Fishers of Dar and Khatfan and Zanzibar.They first met Mr. Khalfan while waiting for a delayed flight atHarare airport.in 1995. SubsequenUy they met him often whenFruzzetti and östör spent a year teaching and carrying outanthropological and film work at the university of Dar es salaam.Eventually, the two of them decided to make a film about Mr.Khalfan's life and work and invited Alfred Guzzetti to collaborate.Fruzzetti and Östör previously collaborated on the award-winning film Seedand Earth (1996).
Panelisa mn¡G¡[anrs
Philip RosenBrown, Modern Culture and Media & EnglishFestival Co-DirectorPhilip Rosen began teaching African cinema at Brown fifteen yearsago. His areas of expertise include film theory and history mediaand theories of culture and ideology. Professor Rosen haspublished extensively on Senegalese filmmaker Ousmane Sembèneand on issues in African film.
Meadow Dibble-DiengBrown, French Studies (Ph.D. candidate)Festival Co-DiredorMeadow Dibble-Dieng's research interests include French &Francophone literary journals, cultural politics, creative non-fiction, "La Francophonie" and African literature, visual aft andcinema. She was a Thomas J. Watson Fellow in '95-'96, for whichshe conducted l2-months of independent research in West Africaand was co-founder of the Dakar based journal Orange light, whichshe edited from '95-'00.
Richard ManningBrown, Modern Culture and MediaFestival Co-DirectorRichard Manning is the Film Archivist for the department of ModernCulture and Media and has both curated and organized numerousfilm festivals during his 15 year tenure, notably, Brown's annualFrench Film Festival.
Modou DiengFestival AdvisorModou Dieng is a visual artist of Senegalese origin. He organized aseries of free public screenings of African films in 2003 at theInternational Institute of Rhode Island, which served as theinspiration forthis festival. Modou Dieng exhibits his artworkwidely in the US and abroad. He was co-founder of the Dakarbased journal Orange light.
Réda Bensmai'aBrown, French Studies & Modern Culture and MediaFestival AdvisorRéda Bensmaia teaches Francophone literature and film in Brown'sDepaftment of French Studies. His areas of expertise are 20thcentury literature and literary theory; Francophone studies; literatureand film.
Elliott CollaBrown, Compa rative Literatu reFestival AdvisorElliott Colla teaches Modern Arabic and English literature in Brown'sDepaftment of Comparative Literature. His areas of expertise are theArabic novel, travel literature, postcolonial theory and aesthetics.
Anani DzidzienyoBrown, Africa na/ Portuguese & Brazilia n Stud iesAnani Dzidzienyo is Associate Professor of Africana Studies andPoftuguese and Brazilian Studies at Brown. He has taught courses onBlacks in Latin American History and Society, Afro-Brazilians and theBrazilian policy, Comparative Politics of Africa and Latin America, andthe Afro-Luso-Brazilian Triangle.
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Bruce WhitehouseBrown, Anthropology (Ph.D. candidate)Bruce Whitehouse is a PhD student in anthropology at Brown Univer-sity, where his research focuses on international migration in Africa.He served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mali from 1997 to 2000.
Winifred LambrechtRhode Island School of DesignWinifred Lambrecht is an anthropologist and filmmaker who teachespart-time at RISD. Of Franco-Belgian ancestry she was raised in theCongo, Rwanda, and in other tropical countries. She is one of the co-founders of the Providence Festival of Latin-American Cinema (April 23through May 2, 2004), in its 12th year.
JessicaJohns Sarah O'BrienJohnFitgerald ShirleyJohnsonMaddy Dwertman Stefanie McGowanSam Solomon Thomas Lax
Betos[Got¡uo ]10R4 G0t[tS
and willdie. In'Paris, Vita meets Pierre, a young musician and fallsin love. Full of joy, she lets herself go and sings. Vita is horrified bywhat she has done, but Pierre, overwhelmed by her talent,convinces her to make a record. The record is an overnightsuccess. Fearing her mother will learn that she broke her promise,Vita decides to return home... To die! Aided by Pierre, Vita stagesher own death and resurrection, showing family and friends thatanything is possible, if you have the courage to dare.
Po di Sangui/Tree of Blood, Flora GomesPoltuguese/Creole, Guinea Bissau, 1996, 90min.In the village of Amanha Lundgu every time a child is born a tree isplanted. These trees grow as the children grow up and outlivethem thus becoming the souls of the village people. But day afterday, out of necessity, the villagers cut the trees and woodbecomes a rare commodity. One day drought and death will come.When Dou returns to the village, his twin brother Hami has justdied. Tensions are running high but Dou doesn't understand what isgoing on. What did Humi die of? What evil is eating away atAmanha Lundgu? In the eyes of the community Dou must take theplace of his twin brother and become a husband to thg dead man'swife and a father to his daughter.
Nha FalaMy Voice,Flora GomesCreole/French,Guinea Bissau,2OO2t 9Omin.Before leaving forEurope to pursue herstudies, Vita, a youngAfrican womanpromises her motherthat she will neversing. A family legendhas it that anywoman in her familywho sings is cursed
Mortu Nega is a bittersweet eulogy to those veterans whogave so much yet often benefited so little from the struggle.It covers the period from January 1973 during the closingmonths of the war against the Portuguese until theconsolidation of an independent Guinea-Bissau in 1974 andt975. This tiny West African nation's valiant struggle andeventual triumph over 500 years of Portuguese dominationattracted international support and heralded the final anti-colonial wave culminating in the defeat of apartheid in 1994.The revolution's charismatic leader, the Cape Verdeanagronomist, Amilcar Cabral, was assassinated on the eve ofvictory in January L973 by Portuguese assisted mainlandnationalists.
Os Olhos Azuis de Yonta/TheBIue Eyes of Yonta, Flora GomesPortuguese/Creole, Guinea Bissau,L992r 9omin.
The "story of three people, each ofwhom is so much in love with theirdreams that they miss the realopportunities which life offers." Vicente,a hero of the revolution, now abusinessman, is so despondent over thefailure of his political ideals that he failsto notice the flirtations of Yonta, the beautiful, youngdaughter of two former comrades. Yonta represents theyounger generation who has grown up since independenceand replaces revolutionary rhetoric with an unabashedenthusiasm for Western consumer culture. She, in turn, isoblivious to the attentions of Ze, a poor student from thecountry who sends her absurdly romantic poems.
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lilmsA Drink in the PassagerZola MasekoEnglish, South Africa,L997, 28min.In 1960, Edward Simelane won a prize for his remarkablesculpture. He did not know that the contest was strictly forwhites. While the committee decided to give him the award, itcreated a nationwide outcry. An Afrikaaner man who is moved bythe Simelane's work invites him to have a drink, but is suddenlyafraid to take him inside his flat. Adapted for the screen from theAlan Paton story written in 1963
Afro@ d ig ita I, Bakupa- Ka nyi nda Ba I ufuFrench/Eng I ish, Congo-Kinshasa, 2OO3, 52mi n.Afro@Digital begins with a provocative question: "Why speak ofnew technologies on a continent which lives daily with theterrorism of poverty?" How can Africa escape the logic of povertyand unequal development by making sure that digital technologydoesn't pass it by, become an agent of neo-colonialism ormarginalize it still further? The documentary asserts thatcomputing technology may in fact be indigenous to Africa.
AI Abwab Al Moghlaka/Closed Doors, Atef HetataArabic, Egypt, L999, 105min.Set during the Gulf war, this engrossing feature debut by Hetatacenters on a teenage boy, Mohamad, caught in an ever-tighteningvise between his incestuous longings for his mother and theauthoritarian temptations of a local religious leader. Mohamad'sfeelings of betrayal escalate and push him to embracefundamentalist ideas as a way of dealing with the confusion ofadolescence and sexual awakening.
Alex's Wedding, Jean Marie TenoFrench/Bamileke, Cameroon/France, 2003, 45 min.A chronicle of a rather particular afternoon during which the livesof three people change dramatically. Alex, the husband, goes tohis in-laws to bring home his second wife. Elise, Alex's childhoodsweetheart and first wife, accompanies him-as she mustaccording to tradition. Josephine, the young bride, leaues'herparents to begin a new life. A polygamous marriage ceremony.
Bedwin Hacker, Nadia El FaniAra biclFrench, Morocco/Tu n isia, 2OO3, 98 m i n.From an apaftment jammed full of computer equipment, Kalt spendsher days hijacking the frequencies of foreign television channelsand using them to broadcast messages in Arabic, signed by amoving cartoon character, a camel named Bedwin Hacker. Julia,alias Agent Marianne, from the paris counter-hacking departmentrecognizes the signature as that of Kalt, her old rival. A game ofcat-and-mouse, energetic and warmhearted, a modern portrayal ofNorth African women and culture.
Le Fleuve/The River, Mama KeitaFrench, After having avenged thedeath o home to his country Guinea.He begi is not only to escape from thebrother also to discover Afiica andregain his equilibrium. He is accompanied on this journey by hisaffectionate but overbearing cousin, Marie. Starring French rapstar, Bugsy Stomy.
Moi et mon hlanc/Me and My White pal, pierreyameogoFrench, Burkina Faso/France, 2OO3, 90min.Mamadi is living in France, and like many other African students, hiscountry has not paid him his scholarship money for six months. Tosurvive, finish his thesis, and renew his residence permit, he takesa job as a parking attendant, which allows him to discover all kindsof secrets, including a stash of drugs. His friend convinces him thatthey can move the drugs and become rich. Evading the dealers istougher than they expect. Mamadi and his white pal escape toBurkina Faso, but find that their adventures don,t end there.
Petite lumière, Alain Gomis, Senegal, 2OO2,15min.Fati ous eight-year-obea d and thoughtfulshe little mysteries,off i when it's closed nyou can't see them. A poignant exploration of childhood wonderand philosophical inquiry.
Rapbizz, Benny Malapa, French, France, 2OOZ,20min.Tony, an African immigrant in paris, dreams of becoming a rap star,but his friends don't believe he has what it takes. He decides totake destiny into his own hands and with his sample tape he headsout to n the industry. Not getting anyresults producer from the projects.Starrin ugsy and Princess Erika.
Samaki wa Dar es Salaam/ Fishers of DarLina Fruzzetti&Ákos östör, English, Tanzania/UsA, 2001, 38min.Samaki wa Dar es Salaam/Fishers of Dar is an ethnographic filmabout the fishermen and women of downtown Dar es Salaam,Tanzania. It explores the continuity and integrity of traditionalfishing practices in new, contemporary settings. Dar es Salaam isa metropolis of 3 million people yet the city's demand for fish isentirely met by equipment, methods and tools that have beenused here forhundreds of years.
Si-Gueriki/TheQueen MotherIdrissou Mora Kpai,French, Benin,2OOl,62min.Idrissou Morai Kpai,33 is a member of theWassangaritribe ofnorthern Benin, oncefierce warriors ruledby rigid traditions.Following the deathof his father, thedirector returns to hisvillage after a ten-year absence. He isdisheartened to seehis sisters and niecessuffering fromcontinuing female oppression. But he is surprised to find his motherliberated. When Mora Kpai was a child, his mother, a stranger tohim, was simply one of his father's wives, a mere shadow in thefamily compound.
Wa ri ko/ The Jackpot, Fad ika Kramo- La nci néFrench, Ivory Coast L994,100min.A traffic cop very unexpectedly wins the lottery. Only oneproblem: the winning ticket has disappeared. As Ali looks high andlow through his society for help, his quest turns hilariouslyallegorical: it is pure satire on the African Dream of socio-economic success. If money makes the world turn, one can neverbe sure whether striking it rich is a miracle, an answer to a prayer,or merely an accident.
