African Film Festival, Inc.
&
Film Society of Lincoln Center

Present:

19TH NEW YORK AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL

21st Century: The Homecoming

THURSDAY, APRIL 5th - MONDAY, MAY 28th



The 2012, 19th annual New York African Film Festival, in collaboration with Film Society of Lincoln Center, will take place from April 11th through the 17th at the Walter Reade Theater of Lincoln Center and conclude at Brooklyn Academy of Music's Rose Cinemas, from May 25th through May 28th, 2012.

The 2012, New York African Film Festival, presented under the banner "21st Century: The Homecoming," is a two-month multi-venue event in New York City, exploring notions of home and homeland, through films and their protagonists. A select group of features, shorts and documentaries, as well as experimental films and archival footage, will be presented alongside supplementary programs aimed at a broader exploration of the festival's themes, including panel discussions, visual and performing art exhibitions, professional development workshops for artists, and, in-school presentations for K-12 and university students.


Festival pass and tickets to screenings for April 11- 17 available for purchase here.




OPENING DAY SCHEDULE

Walter Reade Theater @ Film Society of Lincoln Center
165 West 65th Street, New York, NY
(212) 875-5600


Wednesday, April 11, 2012

2:00 Treasures From The Russian State Archives

3:30 In Darkest Hollywood: Cinema & Apartheid Part I & II

7:15* Mama Africa† (OPENING NIGHT FILM)



TREASURES FROM THE RUSSIAN STATE ARCHIVES
(WORLD PREMIERE)
Archival Footage, USSR, 1954-1976, 70min.
There are seven hundred documentary films catalogued under the keyword "Africa" in the Russian State Film and Photo Archive. In a certain sense, the relationship between the Soviet Union and Africa in the post-war period was one of pure cooperation. When the Soviet empire collapsed, however, Africa was completely forgotten.


***

IN DARKEST HOLLYWOOD: CINEMA & APARTHEID Part I & II
Peter Davis and Daniel Riesenfeld, USA/South Africa/Canada, 1994, 112min.
This documentary represents a milestone in the movement to bring to light the misuse and misrepresentation of black people on the screen. Divided in two parts, In Darkest Hollywood examines the role played by cinema in support of and opposition to Apartheid. Employing a wealth of archival footage dating back to 1948 as well as film excerpts supported by the personal declarations of actors and filmmakers (including a young John Kani and Miriam Makeba), the film is a chronological examination of the influence of the Hollywood in South Africa, the idyllic image of the country disseminated in American films, and the slow birth pangs of its native film industry, all set against the background of the convulsions of 20th century history.



***





MAMA AFRICA† (OPENING NIGHT FILM)

Co-presented by Okayafrica
Mika Kaurismäki, Germany/South Africa/Finland, 2011, 90 min.
An unforgettable portrait of Miriam Makeba (1932-2008), the world-famous South African artist and civil right activist, who devoted her life to promoting peace and justice and fighting racism around the planet. A figurehead of the Black African movement in exile, her music and daily practice incarnated the hopes and fears of Africa through the convulsive 20th century, so that she has come to be considered the voice and mother of the Continent. Finnish filmmaker Mika Kaurismäki continues to devote himself to bringing to light music and protagonists misrepresented and misunderstood by the West. His personal homage to Miriam Makeba comes after decades of intimate engagement with underground cultures in Brazil. Rhythmically blending interviews with archival footage of live performances and historical events, Kaurismäki guides us through a life dedicated to the fight for recognition and human rights on the African Continent.


Followed by a post-screening Q&A with Bill Salter, Makeba's former bass player and longtime friend.





19TH NEW YORK AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL
SPECIAL EVENTS


THURSDAY, APRIL 5th @ 7:00pm


AFRICANS IN THE DIASPORA:
EXPATRIATES AND HOMECOMING

Co-presentation with WNYC

Venue: The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space

The 19th New York African Film Festival kicks off with a special preview of the two-month program at WNYC's The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space. Join us to create an anthem to African cinema, through the celebration of image and sound. As the lights go down, experimental musician and Sound Unbound author, Paul Miller (aka DJ Spooky), will set the tone for the evening, performing a live re-scoring of Ousmane Sembène's classic film, Borom Sarret. Following his performance, other guests who will lend their voices and insights to the evening include NYU's Kanbar Institute of Film & Television Assistant Professor and filmmaker, Yemane Demissie, and African cinema critic, Beatriz Leal, among others. This event is moderated by WNYC's The Takeaway Senior Editor and Special Correspondent, Femi Oke. Introduction by Organisation de la Francophonie Ambassador Filippe Savadogo (former director of FESPACO).

NO RSVP IS REQUIRED. FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED SEATING, UNTIL VENUE REACHES CAPACITY.



***


WEDNESDAY, APRIL 11, 2012 @ 7:00pm


OPENING RECEPTION AND MAMA AFRICA SCREENING


Co-presentation with Okayafrica

Venue: Walter Reade Theater, Lincoln Center

On Wednesday, April 11th, 2012, African Film Festival, Inc. and the Film Society of Lincoln Center will present the opening of the 19th New York African Film Festival. The program will start with a reception at 6:00pm. Following the reception, there will be a screening of Mika Kaurismäki's film ‘Mama Africa', a stunning documentary about the world-famous South African artist and civil rights activist, Miriam Makeba. After the screening, there will be a Q&A with special guest, Bill Salter, one of Makeba's longtime musicians. (Pre-Event Reception @ 6:00pm)


Followed by post-screening Q&A with Bill Salter, Makeba's former bass player.


***

FRIDAY, APRIL 13, 2012 @ 8:00pm


FESTIVAL CELEBRATION PARTY AND ‘RELENTLESS' SCREENING



Venue: Walter Reade Theater, Lincoln Center


On Friday, April 13th, 2012, African Film Festival, Inc. and the Film Society of Lincoln Center will present the 19th New York African Film Festival centerpiece film, ‘Relentless' by Nigerian director Andy Amadi Okoroafor. Join the festival as we celebrate the U.S. premiere of the film, with a special pre-screening dance performance by Khaleah London, and a post-screening party! The film screening starts at 8:00pm and the party starts at 10:00pm




Followed by post-screening Q&A with director, Andy Amadi Okoroafor.



***


SATURDAY APRIL 14th @ 10:00pm - 3:00pm


HOW TO TEACH AFRICA: LESSONS ON AFRICAN INSTRUCTION FOR EDUCATORS



Venue: South African Consulate General

African Film Festival, Inc.'s second free ‘How to Teach Africa: Lessons on African Instruction for Educators' workshop will bring in key authorities in African scholarship and education to work with a small group of educators (20 maximum) around issues of cultural sensitivity, addressing the lack of resources of African scholarship for youths in our current public school system, and making the representation of Africa and the Diaspora more visible in the classroom as a whole. AFF's aim is to help educators obtain the information needed to strengthen their curriculum and better serve students by providing accurate and reliable information about not only a continent whose people and resources have had a major impact on the world (especially the United States), but also a population that is so vibrant here in New York City.

RSVP IS REQUIRED. Email Program Coordinator, Toccarra Thomas - nyaff@erols.com

***

SATURDAY APRIL 14th @ 1:30pm - 4:00pm

AFRICA IS A COUNTRY:
TALKING MEDIA AND RUSSIAN ARCHIVES

Special presentation by Africa is a Country

Venue: The Frieda and Roy Furman Gallery - Walter Reade Theater, Lincoln Center

The popular blog, Africa is a Country (AIAC), will present a two-part panel discussion, on Saturday, April 14, 2012, titled "Cinema and Propaganda". From 1:30pm-4:00pm, join AIAC as featured bloggers and special guests examine the relationship between Africa and the Soviet Union in the 1960s and 1970s, as is evidenced by Russia's extensive film archive of the continent, and then explore the relationship between film and social media movements on the continent and in the United States (i.e. Tahrir revolutionary cinema and Kony 2012, among others). This is a must see event!

NO RSVP IS REQUIRED. FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED SEATING, UNTIL VENUE REACHES CAPACITY.


***

THURSDAY, APRIL 19th @ 7:00pm


WHOSE STORY IS IT ANYWAY?:

GRASSROOTS MEDIA MOVEMENTS ON THE CONTINENT


Co-presentation with Columbia University's Institute of African Studies (IAS) and Center for African Education (CAE), Teachers College


Venue: Teachers College, Columbia University


African Film Festival, Inc. and Columbia University's Institute of African Studies will present a program examining the cross-section of technology and society in Africa. Using media to affect social change, grassroots movements in technology have been rippling throughout the continent, providing people with the tools needed to amplify their voices and messages. This program will highlight the initiatives spearheaded by Africans that exists in the remotest of villages and in the largest of cities and have brought the power of social media and other digital movements into the hands of those whose stories and experiences are often left told by others.



NO RSVP IS REQUIRED. FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED SEATING, UNTIL VENUE REACHES CAPACITY.


See africanfilmny.org for full 19th New York African Film Festival schedule and special events