REEL VOICES - AFRICA FILM SERIES 2003/4

12.04.03
Faat Kine
Director: Ousmane Sembene, Senegal, 2000, 110 min
In French and Wolof with English subtitles
preceded by Rencontrer: Tiguida
Faat Kine is, from its first shot to its surprising last, Sembene's tribute to what he calls the "everyday heroism of African women." In the opening frame, a procession of traditionally dressed women wends its way majestically through the hectic heart of modern Dakar. It’s a warm, often funny story of a single mother, her two children, two ex-husbands, aged mother and assorted friends. Sembene contextualizes his heroine, whose life has been as shaped by tribal custom and sexism as by her own ambition.
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01.08.04
Pièces d'identités
Director: Mweze Ngangura, Congo/Belgium, 1998, 93 min
In French with English subtitles
preceded by Rencontrer: Balde
More than a decade ago Mweze Ngangura delighted the cinema world with one of the most accessible and entertaining African films ever made, La vie est belle, the rags to riches story of a Congolese musician played by soukous super star Papa Wemba. Now he returns with a modern fairy tale set in the vibrant African emigré demi-monde of contemporary Europe. It was the winner of the most prestigious award in African cinema at FESPACO 99. At first glance Pièces d'Identités is the timeless story of an old king, his beautiful if wayward daughter, a dragon of sorts and the prince charming who rescues them; it even has a happy ending. At the same time, Ngangura's simple fable raises some of the most troubling issues of identity facing people of African descent in the ever-widening Diaspora of the late 20th century.
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02.05.04
Guimba the Tyrant
Director: Cheick Oumar Sissoko, Mali, 1995, 93 min
In Bambara and Peul with English subtitles
preceded by Rencontrer: Dieneba
Winner of the most prestigious award in African cinema, the Grand Prize at FESPACO 95, Guimba has been acclaimed as one of the most visually ravishing African films ever made. This epic allegory contrasts Africa's tremendous wealth and potential with its present poverty and plunder. Director Cheick Oumar Sissoko comments, "Guimba is a political film, a fable about power, its atrocities and its absurdities. I was personally influenced by what I experienced not long ago in Mali, but the ravages of power are, unfortunately, universal." The story has obvious parallels with the 1991 overthrow of Malian dictator Moussa Traore in which Sissoko was active.
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03.04.04
Lumumba
Director: Raoul Peck, Haiti, 2000, 115 min
In French and Lingala with English subtitles
preceded by Rencontrer: Siddiq
At the Berlin Conference of 1885, Europe divided up the African continent. The Congo became the personal property of King Leopold II of Belgium. On June 30, 1960, a young self-taught nationalist, Patrice Lumumba, became, at age 36, the first head of government of the new independent state. He would last two months in office. Lumumba is a gripping political thriller which tells the story of the legendary African leader Patrice Emery Lumumba. Called "the politico of the bush" by journalists of his day, the brilliant and charismatic Lumumba, rose rapidly to the office of Prime Minister when Belgium conceded the Congo's independence in June, 1960. Lumumba's vision of a united Africa gained him powerful enemies: the Belgian authorities, who wanted a much more paternal role in their former colony's affairs, and the CIA, who supported Lumumba's former friend Joseph Mobutu in order to protect U.S. business interests in Congo's vast resources and their upper hand in the Cold War power balance.
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04.01.04
La vie est belle
Director: Ngangura Mweze and Benoit Lamy, Congo, 1987, 85min
In French with English subtitles
preceded by Rencontrer: Ishmael
La Vie est Belle takes us inside the vibrant music scene of Kinshasha, Zaire's exhilarating and exasperating capital whose back alleys and clubs pulsate to the beat of some of the most influential music in the world. The film, starring World Beat music legend, Papa Wemba, tells the "rags to riches" story of a poor country musician who seeks fame in the city's vibrant music industry. This lively farce illustrates Zairians' faith in Systeme-D or debrouillardise, fending for yourself to survive in the face of overwhelming obstacles. If there is a commercial cinema in Africa's future, then La Vie est Belle may be one of its precursors.
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05.06.04
Africa Dreaming
Executive Producer: Jeremy Nathan, South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Senegal, Tunisia, 1997, 4x26 minutes
preceded by Rencontrer
Africa Dreaming is a landmark in African television, a series drawing together for the first time broadcasters, television producers, film directors and writers from across the continent. Africa Dreaming is designed to give Africans a rare opportunity to speak directly to each other in their own words and images.. Contains 4 26 minute dramatic shorts on the broad theme of "love in Africa": Sophie's Homecoming by Richard Pakleppa (Namibia), Sabriya by Adberrahmane Sissako (Mauritania), So Be It by Joseph Gai Ramaka (Senegal), and The Gaze Of The Stars by João Ribeiro (Mozambique). "Captivating and highly effective,...There is a mystical yearning in each film and the landscapes are more characters than locations...One of the most provocative offerings of this year's festival." -- Philadelphia Inquirer
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