Fast Forward: 24th festival promises special screenings and director visits
by Tara Foster
Grigris
There are so many wonderful African films being made today and we are thrilled to be able to share 19 of them with you in 2014! The 24th festival opens with Grigris, directed by the highly acclaimed Chadian filmmaker, Mahamat-Saleh Haroun. This 2013 masterpiece is an energetic and poignant film about a young man who dreams of rising above his economic and physical impediments. Visually stunning and ultimately uplifting, this film is a thoughtful portrait of a war-ravaged country on the brink of change. In an attempt to accommodate our ever-growing audience, this year on Opening Night we will offer two screenings at the Hollywood Theatre, one at 6:30 p.m. and a second at 9:00 p.m.
Known as “The Father of African Cinema,” Ousmane Sembène is a widely studied director whose body of work is nothing short of extraordinary. On Saturday, February 8, from 1-4 p.m., we are having an Ousmane Sembène Retrospective hosted by Dr. Amadou Fofana, a professor of French at Willamette University and author of The Films of Ousmane Sembène. We will show two of Sembène’s films — the 1963 short film Borom Sarret and the 2000 film Faat Kine, followed by an enlightening discussion with Dr. Fofana.
Last Flight to Abuja
This year, we are also honored to bring two African directors to Portland. For our Centerpiece film, we will be joined by Nigerian director Obi Emelonye, who will introduce his “high-octane airplane disaster thriller,” Last Flight to Abuja. The film is considered part of the “New Wave” in Nigerian cinema that aims to improve technical production of the “first wave” Nollywood films to appeal to a wider audience. We hope you can join us for what is sure to be a captivating evening. On closing night, March 1, 2014, we are happy to announce that director Apolline Traoré will be with us from Burkina Faso to share her newest cinematic delight, Moi Zaphira! This remarkable narrative shows us just how far a widow will go to achieve a better life for her daughter. Don’t miss it.
Our documentary films promise to delight this year. CFAF is presenting Sand Fishers, a film that follows fishermen of the Bozo community of Mali as they try to preserve their industry and way of life. God Loves Uganda tracks the American influences that lead to the infamous Ugandan anti-homosexuality legislation that would punish gays and lesbians with execution. Dear Mandela examines Mandela’s “unbreakable promise” of affordable housing to those who suffered under apartheid. The film follows three dynamic young South African activists who take their government to the highest court in the land when their shantytowns are threatened with mass eviction. The Square looks at the hard realities faced day to day by people working to build Egypt’s new democracy.
The student Fest Matinees feature two must-see films. African Drum, Beyond the Beat is a rich portrait of the various social functions performed by the drum in West African society. In Soul Boy, 14-year-old Abila has to save his ill father by recovering the soul he gambled away, sending the boy on an adventure to fulfill the seven tasks he must complete to save his father. Both films will be enjoyable to viewers of all ages and backgrounds.
Khumba
Family Film Day features Khumba, an animated adventure comedy about a half-striped zebra who is blamed for the lack of rain by the rest of his superstitious herd. We go along with him as he embarks on an exciting and entertaining quest to earn his stripes! Baba Wagué Diakité of Mali, artist and author, will once again serve as host and storyteller.
Check the online calendar for more information about each of the films.
