April 2003 Blackfilm.com would like for you to Support the 10th African Film Festival in New York City

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Compiled by Wilson Morales Blackfilm.com would like for you to Support the 10th African Film Festival in New York City There are a lot of African American Film Festivals that go on throughout the years such as the Urbanworld Film Festival, and the Hollywood Black Film Festival. While they showcase a number of African-American films, sometimes the ones that get overlooked are the foreign films. These films always carry strong messages as they show what life is like outside the USA. The best of recent and classic African cinema will be shown at the Walter Reade Theater of Lincoln Center from April 5-10, and will continue with programs at the Musuem for African Art on April 11 and the Brooklyn Museum of Art on April 18 and 19. Selected highlights include a panel discussion involving Zimbabwe filmmakers and Digital Africa, which presents digital video works on life throughout Africa. Many filmmakers will be available to talk about their films. Here are some selected films that are worth seeing: Waiting for Happiness Director/Writer: Abderrahmane Sissako Cinematography: Jacques Besse Producer: Guillaume de Seille Cast: Mohamed Mahmoud Ould Mohamed, Khatra Ould Abdel Kader, Maata Ould Mohamed Abeid, Nana Diakite, Fatimetou Mint Ahmeda, Makanfing Dabo, Nema Mint Choueikh Reviewed by: Niija Kuykendall Starting Saturday, April 5 in New York City at the Walter Reade Theatre in Lincoln Center, the 10th Annual New York African Film Festival is sure to be full of hauntingly beautiful, layered interpretations of the many complexities of life that make up a modern, diverse Africa. A highlight of the fest will be the mid-career retrospective of the prolific Abderrahmane Sissako, the globally oriented auteur of Mauritanian birth. Sissako’s most recent work, “Waiting For Happiness”, will kick off the festival with a look at the daily life of West African seaside port Nouadhibou. A transit city by logistical definition but a home for its permanent denizens, Nouadhibou and its inhabitants are an example of the serene state of limbo. In between destinations, in between generations, in between societies, the protagonist is a young man on his way to Europe. As he visits his mother before departing we observe the life of a city that is in a constant state of waiting with a plethora of contradictions pulsing beneath the stillness. The city and its people, permanent or not, are constantly stationary yet nomadic, peaceful yet tumultuous in their quests for a happy life. For some that dream is elsewhere, signified by the many instruments of displacement and signs of the outside world that pass through and by the city. Others are seemingly content in their inescapable environment as these transient vehicles and wanderers pass them by. The viewer is instantly drawn into the beautifully composed and scored work, content to be fascinated by the surprising little dramas of life in a world of isolation and hope. Christmas With Granny (26 min) An Old Wife’s Tale (26 min) Wa ‘n Wina (52 min) Director: Dumisani Phakathi Reviewed By: Wilson Morales Dumisani Phakathi is one of two directors at the festival to have more than one film showing. In “An Old Wife’s Tale”, Phakathi’s first film, Hendrik, an Afrikaner, decides to exercise his constitutional rights and enter into a polygamous marriage, like his Xhosa farmhand, Lucas. He’s totally surprise when his wife thinks it’s a good idea and good for their relationship. In “Christmas With Granny”, Madlozi goes with his grandmother to be baptized in her faith, like all his relatives. While riding a train and mixing with White South Africans, Madlozi sees that his grandmother may be living in the past, which doesn’t look good for his future. And in “Wa ‘n Wina”, the filmmaker returns to his neighborhood in Soweto and engages with friends to discuss relationships, sex, and love. Much of his discussion with them focuses on the issues of HIV/ AIDS. While all three films are different, the common theme among them is survival, through marriage, love, and religion. While the films may be short in length, it doesn’t take much to get the point across to the viewer. Phakathi has a vision he wants to the world to see and that is showing us that in several places in Africa, people survive on their beliefs whether they’re educated on them or not. Abouna Directed by: Mahamat- Saleh Haroun Reviewed by: Wilson Morales When 15 year old Tahir and his 8 year old brother Amine wake up to find their father missing, their mother informs them that he has left them for parts unknown. Dazed and confused, the boys go looking for him everywhere in the city, but have no such luck. While skipping school and going to the movie theater, they think their father is on the big screen and in a movie. Needing further evidence, they steal the reel looking for clues. When caught, their mother sends them to a “reform” school, where life isn’t the same again. Haroun has directed a powerful film that examines the effects of parental abandonment. It’s funny, sad, and uplifting in many ways. Nothing is superficial as the two boys give in great performances considering this is the first film for both of them. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON FILM SCREENINGS AND PROGRAMS, GO TO http://filmlinc.com/wrt/programs/4-2003/africa.htm and http://www.africanfilmny.org