Film Africa 2014 set to stun London with new African voices

www.filmafrica.org.uk

Film Africa - the Royal African Society’s annual film festival and London’s biggest celebration of African cinema - returns for the fourth year with a bumper programme of films, premiers and visiting filmmakers. 85 titles, of which 24 are premiers from across 23 different African countries, will be shown.

Running from Friday 31 October to Sunday 9 November 2014, Film Africa 2014 will take place across 11 London venues, including the Hackney Picturehouse, Ritzy Brixton, BFI Southbank, Ciné Lumière, Rich Mix and the South London Gallery.

With 2014 marking 100 years since the unification of Nigeria, the 60thanniversary of the Algerian Revolution, and the 20th anniversary of both South Africa’s democracy the genocide in Rwanda; Film Africa 2014 will present stunning cinematic reflections on African history and current politics in different genres, including crime thrillers, period dramas, comedy and documentaries.

Major titles in this year’s festival include Abderrahmane Sissako’sTimbuktu and Tala Hadid’s The Narrow Frame Of Midnight (the festival opening and closing films), Olivier Delahaye and Dani Kouyaté’s Soleils, Sana Na N’Hada’s Kadjike, Noaz Deshe’s White Shadow (executive produced by Ryan Gosling), Hicham Lasri’s They Are The Dogs, and Dieudo Hamadi’s National Diploma.

Over 20 filmmakers and guests will be in attendance to the festival including the multi-talented rising director Tala Hadid (The Narrow Frame Of Midnight); filmmaker and journalist Yaba Badoe (The Art of Ama Ata Aidoo); award-winning writer Ben Okri (The Madness of Reason); popular Nollywood director Kunle Afolayan (October 1); and Algerian filmmaker Belkacem Hadjadj (Fadhma n’Soumer).

In partnership with the rest of the UK African film festivals, Film Africa 2014 will host South Africa at 20: The Freedom Tour – a nation-wide season of South African cinema, which includes the classic Come Back, Africa, the gritty, award-winning Four Corners and the controversial documentary Miners Shot Down about the 2012 Marikana massacre.

Marking the 60th anniversary of Algeria’s independence, Film Africa 2014 presents Algerian Cinema: Towards a New Wave – a programme of over 15 Algerian films highlighting the imaginative work of a new generation of daring filmmakers who are unmistakeably shifting the country's cinematic landscape.

Female filmmakers and women-centred stories feature prominently across the festival programme with titles such as Sergio Graciano’sNjinga, Queen of Angola, whose central character is the 17th century Angolan leader who fought tirelessly against Portuguese slave traders, and Fadhma n’Soumer, a historical biopic of the 19th century Algerian mystic and resistance leader. Contemporary African women acting as powerful agents of change today are featured in Joanna Lipper’s The Supreme Price, Zeresenay Berhane Mehari’s Difret and Dani Kouyaté’s Women, Entirely Women, among others.

A selection of documentaries bring to life the creative work of a range of individuals who have made their mark on the African literary and music scenes, which includes the UK and London premiers of Silvia Voser’s Ken Bugul – Nobody Wants Her, Rachel Samuel’s Asni: Courage, Passion & Glamour in Ethiopia, Lebogang Rasethaba’sFuture Sound of Mzansi, and Mário Patrocinio’s I Love Kuduro.

Film Africa 2014 will also shine a spotlight on Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) African cinema bringing the newest titles from Guinea-Bissau, Angola and Mozambique, and a discussion with respected producer Pedro Pimenta.

Other Film Africa 2014 programme features include: The Industry Forum at the BFI, a free event which sheds light on the business of African cinema; The Baobab Award for Best Short Film; Film AfricaLIVE! music nights featuring the hottest African music in London; a schools screening programme, in partnership with Picturehouse Education; and Westminster University’s 6th Annual African Film Conference - Documenting Africa: Creating Fact or Fiction through the lens.

Sheila Ruiz, Manager of Film Africa, says:
“We at The Royal African Society are delighted to present the fourth edition of our annual Film Africa festival, which aims to promote the best of this growing new wave of African cinema. The films in this year's festival continue to reveal new images and nuanced narratives of Africa, which we know London audiences are eager to see and engage with. There is really something for everyone and we look forward to yet another successful festival!”

Zeinab Badawi, Chair of the Royal African Society, was also quoted as saying:
“Film Africa 2014 is presenting a variety of powerful and compelling narratives from the continent on film. I think Film Africa is doing a marvellous job in bringing untold stories to the fore.” 

Film Africa is funded by Miles Morland, the BFI and the SA-UK Seasons, a partnership between the South African Department of Arts and Culture and the British Council. Supporters include MOFILM and the Centre of African Studies, University of London. Sponsors include Divine Chocolate, SAB Miller, Aduna and Crumbs & Doilies. Media partners include The Africa Channel and IC Publications (NewAfrican & New African Woman). Publicity and website design by Design 237.

For press enquiries, contact Nadia Denton at press@filmafrica.org.ukor 07930 941 080

To view the full Film Africa 2014 festival programme, visitwww.filmafrica.org.uk

Notes 
 

  1. The Royal African Society is a membership organisation that fosters a better understanding of Africa in the UK and throughout the world. Our goal is to promote Africa globally in the spheres of business, politics, academia, arts and culture. We disseminate knowledge and insight to make a positive difference to Africa’s development and celebrate the diversity and depth of African cultures. www.royalafricansociety.org
  1. South Africa at 20: The Freedom Tour is a nation-wide season organised by the 5 UK African Film Festivals (Film Africa in London, Africa in Motion in Scotland, Afrika Eye in Bristol, the Cambridge African Film Festival, andWatch-Africa in Wales) that will bring the best of South African cinema to 40 different locations across the UK from October 2014 to February 2015, marking 20 years of South Africa’s democracy. Supported by the BFI and the SA-UK Seasons, this unprecedented tour aims to feed into the various commemorative events that are taking place both in South Africa and the UK, whilst building audiences and raising the profile of South African cinema nationally, linking in with the BFI Film Audience Network. www.safilmtour.uk
  2. Sheila Ruiz is Programme Manager for the Royal African Society, where she is in charge of organising the extensive programme of events, which includes the annual Africa Writes and Film Africa festivals. Sheila holds an MA in African Studies from SOAS and a BA in History from UCL. She is of mixed Spanish/Equato-Guinean heritage and is bilingual in English and Spanish. She tweets @SheilaRuiz
  3. Zeinab Badawi is the recently appointed Chairperson of the Royal African Society. An award-winning broadcast journalist, Zeinab has extensive experience in television and radio, working on a range of programmes. In 2009 she was awarded International TV Personality of the Year by the Association of International Broadcasters, and in 2011 was named in Powerlist 2012 as one of Britain’s top 100 most influential members of the black community, as well as being awarded an honorary doctorate by SOAS, London University, for her   services to international broadcasting. Zeinab is a former patron of the BBC World Service Trust, the charitable arm of the BBC, and a former trustee of the National Portrait Gallery. She has been a board member of the British Council, a former Chair of the London based freedom of speech campaign organisation, Article 19, and a board member of the Overseas Development Institute. She tweets @bbczeinabbadawi
  4. The full list of visiting filmmakers and festival guests for Film Africa 2014 include:
    Tala Hadid (The Narrow Frame Of Midnight)
    Kunle Afolayan (October 1)
    Hafsat Abiola (The Supreme Price – documentary subject) 
    Joanna Lipper (The Supreme Price)
    Mario Patrocinio (I Love Kuduro)
    Obi Emelonye (The Messenger)
    Yaba Badoe (The Art of Ama Ata Aidoo)
    Ben Okri (N The Madness of Reason – writer)
    Karim Moussaoui (The Days Before) 
    Sarah Tikanouine (The Desert Foxes)
    Pedro Pimenta (Virgin Margarida)
    Coreon Du (Nijinga, Queen of Angola & I Love Kuduro – producer)
    Zolani Ndevu (To the One I Love)
    Nantenaina Lova (Ady Gasy: The Malagasy Way)
    Lesliana Pereira (Njinga, Queen of Angola – actress)
    Belkacem Hadjadj (Fadhma n’Soumer)
    Ian Gabriel (Four Coners)
    Paul Modjajdi (Hear Me Move - dance choreographer)  
    Meg Rickards (1994: The Bloody Miracle)  
    Sandra Karmpelhuber (100% Dakar - More Than Art) 
    Khalo Matabane (Nelson Mandela: The Myth & Me – speaker at Westminster’s Annual Film Conference)
    Bouaziz Mohamed Yacine (Tomorrow, Algiers?)
    Lounès Tazaïrt (Fevers)
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