Feature Films A-Z
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Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 228 2688
Feature Films A-Z
www.filmhousecinema.com
Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................3 Festival People ........................................................................................................3 Main Festival Venues & Box Office Information .........................................................4 AiM Contact Details .................................................................................................5 Festival Schedules: Edinburgh and Glasgow...............................................................6 Festival Strands .....................................................................................................12 Guest Filmmakers ..................................................................................................14 Feature Films A-Z...................................................................................................17 Documentaries A-Z ................................................................................................30 Short Film Competition ..........................................................................................36 Events: Children & Youth ........................................................................................38 Opening and Closing Events ...................................................................................40 AiM Nomad Cinema.................................................................................................42 Immigration Stories From Across Scotland and Beyond ............................................46 Edinburgh VJ Night ................................................................................................50 SAFTEC/AiM Reception ...........................................................................................50 Distribution Forum ................................................................................................50 Immigration Stories at Stills ..................................................................................51 Judy Kibinge Masterclass .......................................................................................51 Afrinolly Reception ................................................................................................51 Art Exhibitions ......................................................................................................52 Stirling Events .......................................................................................................53 Announcement: South African Film Festival ............................................................54 Announcement: Sport Stories From Around the African Commonwealth ....................54 Africa Vision Exchange: A Network of African Film Festivals ....................................55 Supporters ............................................................................................................56 Venue Addresses ...................................................................................................64
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Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 228 2688
www.filmhousecinema.com
Introduction Welcome
to the 8th edition of the Africa in Motion Film Festival. We are here again warming up your autumn with the vibrancy of African culture. As always we have brought to Scotland a fantastic showcase of awe-inspiring films from across the African continent. We will take you on a cinematic journey to discover how Africans see themselves in the world we all share. Following the spirit of Africa we will travel across forgotten Kingdoms, follow Islamic pilgrimages, see the life-changing effects of revolutions and reimagine notions of what it means to be African in the modern world. Last year AiM expanded to Glasgow after six successful years in Edinburgh, and it was clear that Glasgow audiences were excited by African cinema. We are delighted to bring a longer and more diverse programme to Glasgow audiences this year with film screenings, pop-up events, music performances, documentary screenings, a children’s day, a contemporary art exhibition, and more! Our festival theme for 2013 is Twende: Africa on the Move (“twende” is a Swahili word which translates as “let’s go!”), capturing Africa’s diverse richness and beauty through movement. Using this overarching theme we have devised a programme that encapsulates all types of movement, from the movement of people across regions and borders with films about immigration and asylum, to political, cultural and social movements; to movement in its more literal form with films about sport, dance and the vibrancy of African cities and street life.
Festival People Management Team & Curation: Justine Atkinson, Lizelle Bisschoff, Natalia Palombo Edinburgh Assistant: Lucette Ahouangnimon Web Development: James Cocker Press and Marketing Coordinator: James Coutts Festival Interns: Ana Curtinhal, Paula Martone, Elisa Salemink Audience Research: Lesley-Ann Dickson Press Officer: Miles Fielder Illustrator and Designer: David Galletly Events Organiser: David Holmes Events Assistant: Stephanie Koenen Glasgow Assistant: Rhea Lewis Volunteer Coordinator: Nadia Lipsey ProExposure Exhibition Organiser: Moragh Reid Guests Hospitality & Short Film Competition Coordinator: Kari Ann Shiff North Africa Programme Consultant: Stefanie Van de Peer Graphic Designer: Jamie Young Special thanks go to all our volunteers whose commitment to the festival is crucial to its success.
The close link between movement, film and culture is brought to the fore through our wonderful and diverse programme of films, symposiums, distribution forums, pop-up cinema screenings through our brand new Nomad Cinema series, educational workshops, music performances and arts exhibitions. We hope you will enjoy the journey.
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Glasgow Film Theatre: 0141 332 6535
www.glasgowfilm.org
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Main festival venues & box office information Edinburgh Filmhouse Filmhouse 88 Lothian Road Edinburgh EH3 9BZ Box office: 0131 228 2688 Opening Times: 10am - 9pm daily Book online: www.filmhousecinema.com Ticket prices: Matinees (Mon to Thu): (Performances starting before 5pm) Full price £6.50, concessions £4.50
Filmhouse
Friday bargain matinees: Full price £5, concessions £3.50 Evening screenings & Sat/Sun matinees: (Performances starting 5pm or later) Full price £8.20, concessions £6 Ticket deals: Buy any three (or more) tickets for films in the festival and get 15% off Buy any six (or more) tickets for films in the festival and get 25% off Buy any nine (or more) tickets for films in the festival and get 35% off These offers are available online, in person and on the phone, on both full price and concession price tickets. Tickets must all be bought at the same time.
Glasgow Film Theatre Glasgow Film Theatre 12 Rose Street Glasgow G3 6RB Box office: 0141 332 6535 (There is a £1.50 booking fee for telephone bookings only.) Book online: www.glasgowfilm.org Ticket prices: Unless otherwise stated: Full price £7.50, concessions £6 CineCard holders: £1 off every ticket Saver Tickets: See five films for £35 / £27.50 Tickets valid for 3 months and available at box office
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Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 228 2688
www.filmhousecinema.com
AiM Contact Details Africa in Motion (AiM) Film Festival @aimfilmfest info@africa-in-motion.org.uk www.africa-in-motion.org.uk
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Glasgow Film Theatre: 0141 332 6535
www.glasgowfilm.org
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Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 228 2688
www.filmhousecinema.com
Event
Opening reception
10.00pm 1.00am
VJ night
Film screening
7.00pm 10.00pm
8.50pm
Film screening
South African adventures at the Summerhall
South African adventures at the Summerhall
Film screening & director's Q&A
SAFTEC/AiM reception
6.10pm
7.00pm
8.00pm
8.25pm
11.00pm
Documentary screening
Documentary screening
Film screening
Horror film night
3.20pm
6.10pm
8.25pm
9.00pm
Sunday 27 October
Film screening & director's Q&A
3.20pm
Saturday 26 October
Film screening
6.10pm
Friday 25 October
Opening screening
8.00pm
Thursday 24 October
Time
Night Drive (at 9pm) + horror shorts
Horses of God
Touba
The Virgin, the Copts and Me
Of Good Report
Two Wings Many Prayers
The Animal Communicator
Man on Ground
The Good Man
Nairobi Halflife
Short films
Durban Poison
Grigris
Film
Banshee Labyrinth
Filmhouse
Filmhouse
Filmhouse
Filmhouse Cafe Bar
Filmhouse
Summerhall
Summerhall
Filmhouse
Filmhouse
Filmhouse
Bongo Club
Filmhouse
Cargo Bar
Filmhouse
Venue
Edinburgh Schedule
Nomad cinema
Religious movements
Religious movements
Religious movements
Post-apartheid South Africa
Nomad cinema
Nomad cinema
Post-apartheid South Africa
Post-apartheid South Africa
City movement
Road movie
Physical movement
Strand
24, 42
21
33
31
50
24
35, 42
33, 42
21
28
23
50
18
40
19
Page
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Documentary screening & director's Q&A
Film screening & director's Q&A
Short film competition
3.30pm
6.10pm
8.25pm
Glasgow Film Theatre: 0141 332228 6535 Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 2688 The Pardon
Documentary screening
Film screening
An Islamic Pilgrimage at the Brass Monkey
Film screening & discussion
3.30pm
6.10pm
8.00pm
8.25pm
Filmhouse
Film screening & director's Q&A
8.45pm
Film screening
Film screening
Documentary screening
Documentary screening
Film screening
Film screening
Film screening
10.30am
1.00pm
1.30pm
2.30pm
4.00pm
6.10pm
8.25pm
Thursday 31 October
Cabaret Voltaire
Afrinolly reception
8.00pm 10.00pm
www.glasgowfilm.org www.filmhousecinema.com Winter of Discontent
Yema
Filmhouse
Political movements
Political movements
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29
20
Edinburgh College of Art, Lauriston Place, Room 017 Political movements Le President
Filmhouse
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Edinburgh College of Art, Lauriston Place, Room 017 Political movements President Dia
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Edinburgh College of Art, Lauriston Place, Room 017 Political movements
38
38
30
51
31
17,38
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Twilight Revelations: The life and Times of Emperor Haile Selassie
Children
Children
22 33, 43
Edinburgh Zoo
Edinburgh Zoo
Sexualities
Sexualities
Children
Political movements
Nomad cinema
Post-apartheid South Africa
Adventures in Zambezia
Adventures in Zambezia
Difficult Love
Filmhouse
Documentary screening & discussion
God Loves Uganda
Primary school screening
Filmhouse
Filmhouse
Brass Monkey
Filmhouse
34
Edinburgh College of Art, Lauriston Place, Room 017 Physical movement
6.00pm
Adventures in Zambezia
Material
Town of Runners
17
36
25
30
50
32
Youth
Movement of film & filmmakers
Movement of film & filmmakers
Movement of film & filmmakers
Movement of film & filmmakers
Edinburgh College of Art, Lauriston Place, Room 017 Physical movement
Filmhouse
Filmhouse
Filmhouse
Filmhouse
ECA Boardroom, 5th floor Evolution House
10.00am
Wednesday 30 October
Touba
Documentary screening
2.00pm
The African Cypher
Secondary school screening
Aya of Yop City
Short films
One Man's Show
Creation in Exile
10.00am
Tuesday 29 October
Distribution forum
10.00am 1.00pm
Monday 28 October
??
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Event
Film screening & director's Q&A
AiM Movie Bus
Film screening & discussion
6.00pm
8.00pm
8.30pm
Storytelling: Starbird
Animation film screening
Journey at St John's
Film screening
Film screening
1.00pm
4.15pm
5.15pm
6.20pm
8.30pm
Film screening
Film screening & discussion
Film screening
4.05pm
6.10pm
8.30pm
Sunday 3 November
Children's screening
11.00am
Saturday 2 November
Documentary masterclass: Judy Kibinge
2.00pm - 5.00pm
Friday 1 November
Time
The Forgotten Kingdom & winning short
Children's Republic
The Pirogue
Hidden Beauties
Virgin Margarida
The Pirogue
Aya of Yop City
Adventures in Zambezia
The First Grader
Durban Poison
Something Necessary
Film
Filmhouse
Filmhouse
Filmhouse
Filmhouse
Filmhouse
St John's Church
Filmhouse
Filmhouse
Filmhouse
Filmhouse
The Three Sisters
Filmhouse
Edinburgh College of Art, Lauriston Place, Room 017
Venue
Edinburgh Schedule cont.
Journeys
Journeys
Journeys
Women's movements
Women's movements
Journeys
Youth
Children
Children
Kenyan independence
Nomad cinema
Kenyan independence
Kenyan independence
Strand
27
26
20
22
29
43
17
39
17
27
18, 43
26
51
Page
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Glasgow Film Theatre: 0141 332228 6535 Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 2688
Touba
??
www.glasgowfilm.org www.filmhousecinema.com
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10
7.00pm
7.00pm
Monday 28 October
Short Film Competition
Film screening
Dance over Crime
1.00pm
5.00pm
Short films
The African Cypher
The Forgotten Kingdom
Otelo Burning
Children's screening
South Africa Underwater at Govanhill Baths
11.50am
Sunday 27 October
Adventures in Zambezia
Storytelling: Tawona Sithole
11.15am
Saturday 26 October
Of Good Report
Opening screening + Q&A
Opening reception
5.50pm
8.30pm – 1am
Film
Various
Exhibition Preview
Event
Immigration Stories
9.00am - 5.00pm
Friday 25 October
6.00pm - 9.00pm
Friday 18 October
Time
South Block
Calabash Restaurant
GFT
Govanhill Baths
GFT
GFT
CCA
GFT
CCA
Repositioned Repositioned Gallery at The Finnieston
Venue
Glasgow Schedule
Movement of film & filmmakers
Physical movement
Journeys
Nomad cinema
Children
Children & Youth
Post-apartheid South Africa
Journeys
Women's movements
Strand
36
32, 44
27
25, 44
17, 39
39
40
24
46
52
Page
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Lagos to Abuja
AiM Closing & VJ Party
7.00pm
Justice, Absolution and Reconciliation in Rwanda
9.00pm
Sunday 3 November
5.00pm
Saturday 2 November
7.00pm
Documentary screening
Various
The Last Flight to Abuja
Imbabazi (The Pardon)
Twilight Revelations: The Life and Times of Emperor Haile Selassie
Mirror Boy
GHA and AiM present: Halloween at Riverford
5.00pm
Friday 1 November
Workshops and Halloween games
Hidden Beauties
Horses of God
Film
GHA and AiM present: Halloween at Riverford
Film screening
Film screening
Event
3.30pm
Thursday 31 October
8.15pm
Wednesday 30 October
6.00pm
Tuesday 29 October
Time
Calabash Restaurant
Calabash Restaurant
Calabash Restaurant
African & Caribbean Centre
Riverford Green Space
Riverford Green Space
GFT
GFT
Venue
Journeys
Moving Forward
Political movements
Youth
Youth
Women's movements
Religious movements
Strand
40
28, 44
19, 44
34, 45
23, 45
23
22
21
Page
??
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Festival Strands Movement of film and filmmakers Through selected films and our distribution forum we will look at how African film can voyage across borders and cultural boundaries carrying new stories and ideas across the world. We will look at how African filmmakers who now reside outside of Africa continue to tell African stories in a society with different beliefs, attitudes and values.
Women’s movements All across the continent women are standing up against oppressive patriarchal societies and traditions, claiming their freedom and rights in the domestic and public sphere.
Political movements Africa has a rich history of strong and fearless political movements that have fought back against political, social and cultural injustices. Contemporary Africa is no different, across the continent people are arising! Although movements differ markedly in their aims, they all have one goal – to fight for change. The strength and vigour exuded by African political movements has helped to end unjust regimes, unveil corruption and has inspired millions of people across the world.
Kenyan independence This year marks the 50th year of Kenyan independence; in celebration we are screening a number of films that show the diversity, vibrancy and contemporary challenges of Kenyan society.
Religious movements Through mesmerising imagery we offer you a glimpse into the multifaceted and diverse influence religious movements have in Africa. We will look at how beliefs, culture and values merge with religion and how the continued influence of the West impacts religion, society and human rights.
Children and youth We recognise the importance of introducing young people to African cinema, giving them an idea of how their African counterparts are living through cinematic representations by, for and about children and young people in Africa. Therefore as always, we will have many fantastic screenings for families, children and youth.
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Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 228 2688
www.filmhousecinema.com
Post-apartheid South Africa Post-apartheid South African society is diverse, multi-cultural, vibrant and complex. This diversity is reflected in the range of post-apartheid films.
Journeys Many Africans leave, or attempt to leave, the continent for the promise of a better life in Europe or America, often leading to tragedy and shattered dreams. However, equally as many Africans have also settled successfully in European countries or America, and have contributed much to these societies in economic, cultural and social life.
City movements African cities are vibrant metropolises where age-old traditions meet modern life, resulting in a mixture of business, informal trade, entertainment and street life that give each African city its own unique flavour.
Sexualities Views on homosexuality in Africa have become prominent in the international media recently. While several African governments and proponents of traditional African cultures continue to condemn homosexuality through their homophobic standpoints, many Africans are also fighting homophobia and campaigning for change.
AiM Nomad Cinema The AiM Nomad Cinema will wander into new and inspiring venues around Scotland, unpacking cinema magic and enthralling a diverse range of audiences with African cinema. It will journey across communities, holding screenings in a diverse range of places. We believe that cinema should be accessible to everyone and we are therefore making it our mission to empower the audience, taking the films to them, rather than the other way around. The AiM Nomad Cinema will take African films to new audiences throughout Scotland, allowing them to access a greater choice of films.
Physical movement Physical movement is an outward expression of our inner self. Flowing through space and time movement is a form of cultural and competitive expression, it is one of the defining human traits as we incorporate it into performance, ritual, sport and endurance.
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Glasgow Film Theatre: 0141 332228 6535 Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 2688
www.glasgowfilm.org www.filmhousecinema.com
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Guest Filmmakers
Newton Aduaka: Director of One Man’s Show
Phil Harrison: Director of The Good Man
Newton Aduaka was born in Eastern Nigeria in 1966. At the age of four his family sought refuge in Lagos after the Nigerian Civil War (also referred to as the Biafran War). He moved to the UK in the mid-80s to study Engineering, but discovered cinema, graduating from the London Film School in 1990. In 2001 he directed his debut feature film Rage. His second feature film Ezra won the Etalon d’or de Yennenga, the highest honour for an African filmmaker, at the FESPACO film festival in 2007. One Man’s Show is his third feature film. Newton currently lives in Paris.
With a background in photography and design, and a Masters degree in Postcolonial Literature & Theology, Phil moved into the world of film in 2011 with his first short, Even Gods, which picked up a number of awards and has traveled widely around the world. Based in Ireland and South Africa, and made on a budget of only $150,000, The Good Man is his first feature film. He currently lives between Cape Town and Belfast and is working on a second feature. We are screening The Good Man in Edinburgh on Fri 26 Oct and (see page 28).
We are screening One Man’s Show in Edinburgh on Mon 28 Oct (see page 25). Newton will also visit the University of Stirling on Wed 30 Oct where he will present a masterclass followed by a screening of Ezra on Wed 30 Oct at macrobert (see page 53).
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Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 228 2688
www.filmhousecinema.com
Feature Films A-Z
Guest Filmmakers
Judy Kibinge: Director of Something Necessary
Zanele Muholi: Director of Difficult Love
Judy Kibinge (born in Kenya in 1967) moved to the US and later to the UK during her childhood and studied communication in Manchester. After her return to Kenya she worked in advertising. Since 1999 she has dedicated herself fully to film. She is the driving force behind film production house Seven, established in 2006. Her debut A Dangerous Affair received an award at the Zanzibar International Film Festival in 2003. Something Necessary is her third feature film.
Zanele Muholi is a visual activist born in Umlazi, Durban; she currently lives in Johannesburg. Muholi completed an Advanced Photography course at the Market Photo Workshop in 2003, and held her first solo exhibition at the Johannesburg Art Gallery in 2004. She was the recipient of the 2005 Tollman Award for the Visual Arts, and the first BHP Billiton/Wits University Visual Arts Fellowship in 2006. She studied for her MFA: Documentary Media at Ryerson University in Toronto. In 2009, she received a Fanny Ann Eddy accolade from IRN-Africa for outstanding contributions to the study and advocacy of sexualities in Africa. Also in 2009 Muholi was a Jean-Paul Blachère award winner at the Rencontres de Bamako African Photography Biennial, and won the Casa Africa award for best female photographer living in Africa. This year she won the Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression arts award and the Prince Claus Award for Photography.
Judy’s visit to the UK is co-hosted by Film Africa in London and Afrika Eye in Bristol. We are screening Something Necessary in Edinburgh on Fri 1 Nov (see page 26). Judy will also give a masterclass on the same afternoon at the Edinburgh College of Art (see page 51).
We are screening Zanele’s documentary film Difficult Love in Edinburgh on Wed 30 Oct (see page 30).
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Glasgow Film Theatre: 0141 332228 6535 Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 2688
www.glasgowfilm.org www.filmhousecinema.com
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Guest Filmmakers
Jahmil Qubeka: Director of Of Good Report
Daniela Ricci: Director of Creation in Exile
South African filmmaker Jahmil Qubeka has directed television programmes and documentaries for production houses such as Ochre Media and Urban Brew Studios in South Africa. His documentary and feature film work has screened at festivals including Pusan International Film Festival and Rotterdam Film Festival. Jahmil directed Talk to Me, an hour-long HIV/Aids documentary special with Sesame Street New York which won the Peabody Award for best actuality programming. He also produced the low-budget feature film uMalusi released by Ster Kinekor in South Africa in March 2009. His debut directorial feature A Small Town Called Descent won the Founders Award for Narrative Feature at the 2012 Pan African Film Festival in LA.
After working for the United Nations for several years in various African countries, Italian scholar and filmmaker Daniela Ricci then went on to complete a PhD in African Cinema at the Lyon 3 University in France and Howard University in the US. Daniela is currently a lecturer in cinema at La Sorbonne Nouvelle in Paris and president of the inter-cultural organisation Melisandra. Since 2006 she has organised the festival Uno sguardo all’Africa in Savona, Italy. Creation in Exile: Five Filmmakers in Conversation is her first film. We are screening Creation in Exile in Edinburgh on Mon 28 Oct (see page 30).
We are screening Jahmil’s incredible latest feature film Of Good Report in Glasgow on Fri 25 Oct, and in Edinburgh on Sat 26 Oct (see page 24). Both screenings will be followed by a Q&A with Jahmil. Jahmil’s visit to the UK is co-hosted by Film Africa in London.
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Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 228 2688
www.filmhousecinema.com
Feature Films A-Z
Adventures in Zambezia Wayne Thornley | South Africa/USA 2012 | 1h23m | U | Animation This colourful South African animation by the South African animation company Triggerfish is set in a bustling bird city on the edge of the majestic Victoria Falls. Zambezia is the story of Kai - a naĂŻve but high-spirited young falcon who travels to the bird city of Zambezia where he discovers the truth about his origins and, in defending the city, learns how to be part of a community.
Feature Films A-Z
Aya de Yopougon (Aya of Yop City) ClĂŠment Oubrerie and Marguerite Abouet | Ivory Coast 2012 | 1h25m | French with English subtitles | 15 | Animation Against the colourful and spirited backdrop of the Ivory Coast in the 1970s, Aya is a vibrant, beautifully animated film. From teen romance to parental tribulations, the film offers a rare glimpse into African daily lives, set to the funky beats of a groovy soundtrack.
Screenings Glasgow: Sat 26 Oct at 11.50am, Glasgow Film Theatre Edinburgh: Wed 30 Oct at 10am, Filmhouse, as part of National Youth Film Festival (see page 38) Edinburgh: Thu 31 Oct at 10.30am and 1.00pm, Edinburgh Zoo (see page 38) Edinburgh: Sat 2 Nov at 11am, Filmhouse
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Glasgow Film Theatre: 0141 332228 6535 Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 2688
Screenings Edinburgh: Tue 29 Oct at 10am, Filmhouse, as part of National Youth Film Festival (see page 38) Edinburgh: Sat 2 Nov at 4.15pm, Filmhouse
www.glasgowfilm.org www.filmhousecinema.com
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Feature Films A-Z
Durban Poison Andrew Worsdale | South Africa 2013 | Afrikaans and English with English subtitles | 1h33m | 15 Durban Poison is an exposé of a relationship between two lovers whose passionate affair self-destructed: they ended up as serial killers, South Africa’s version of Bonnie and Clyde, killing four people in a game of sex for money. Told in flashback, this road movie follows the culprits and the police as they return to the scenes of the crime. Moving between the present and the past, the film is a tale of murder and romance, truth and lies, memory and regret, with the audience becoming complicit witnesses of a powerful, combustible romance.
El Sheita Elli Fat (Winter of Discontent) Ibrahim El-Batout | Egypt | 2012 | 1h34m | Arabic with English subtitles| 15 This gripping political thriller delivers a searing account of the root causes of the Egyptian revolution. For 18 days in January and February 2011, people in Egypt rallied together to overturn decades of dictatorial rule. Set against the momentous backdrop of the whirlwind protests of Cairo’s Tahrir Square, the film takes us on a raw and moving journey into the lives of three protagonists. Winter of Discontent poetically explores the anguish of a victim, a witness and a perpetrator of state terror. As the stories of the three characters unfold and overlap, we are propelled headlong into the heady, often surreal atmosphere of terror and uncertainty that characterised the last days of Mubarak’s rule.
Screenings Edinburgh: Fri 25 Oct at 6.10pm, Filmhouse Edinburgh: Fri 1 Nov at 8pm, AiM Movie Bus, The Three Sisters Bar, 139 Cowgate (see page 43)
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Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 228 2688
Screening Edinburgh: Thu 31 Oct at 8.25pm, Filmhouse
www.filmhousecinema.com
Feature Films A-Z
Feature Films A-Z
Grigris
Imbabazi (The Pardon)
Mahamat-Saleh Haroun | France/Chad 2013 | 1h41m | French and Arabic with English subtitles | 15
Joel Karekezi | Rwanda 2013 | 1h13m | 15
Grigris is the inspiring story of a 25-year-old man living in N’Djamena, capital of the central African country Chad, with dreams of becoming a dancer in spite of his physical disability. It appears that his dreams may be shattered when his uncle falls ill and Grigris gets involved with a gang of petrol smugglers in an attempt to save him. Based on real events the story was created when Haroun attended the FESPACO film festival in Ouagadougou, where he discovered Souleymane Démé (who plays Grigris), a professional dancer with a crippled leg. Deceptively simple, Grigris is yet another example of celebrated Chadian director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun’s (Abouna, Daratt, A Screaming Man) extraordinary ability to effortlessly engage audiences through a combination of beautiful visuals and universally recognisable parables. After the screening in Edinburgh everyone is warmly invited to an opening reception at Cargo Bar (see page 40).
Manzi and Karemera are best friends who seem inseparable, but as ethnic tensions rise in 1994 Rwanda, the forces of history and violence tear them apart and Manzi finds he must choose between friendship and family. Fifteen years later, as the former friends search for justice and absolution, they both find themselves at odds with a society eager to forget the trauma of the past. During the 1994 Rwandan genocide, neighbours became enemies and friendships were destroyed overnight. Rwandan filmmaker Joel Karekezi has crafted a beautiful film that reflects the horror of the genocide while advocating for reconciliation and a brighter future in the next generation. This screening is kindly sponsored by the Rwanda Scotland Alliance and the Rwandan High Commission, and the Edinburgh screening will be followed by a discussion supported by the School of Arts and Humanities at the University of Stirling.
Screenings
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Screening
Edinburgh: Tue 29 Oct at 8.25pm, Filmhouse
Edinburgh Opening Screening: Thu 24 Oct at 8pm, Filmhouse
Glasgow: Sat 2 Nov at 5pm, Calabash restaurant, 57 Union Street (see page 44)
Glasgow Film Theatre: 0141 332228 6535 Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 2688
www.glasgowfilm.org www.filmhousecinema.com
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Feature Films A-Z
La Pirogue (The Pirogue)
Le President (The President)
Moussa Toure | France/Senegal 2012 | 1h27m | French and Wolof with English subtitles | 15
Jean-Pierre Bekolo | Cameroon/Germany 2013 | 1h5m | French with English subtitles | 15
Illuminating the moving and often tragic human stories behind the headlines about illegal immigration, La Pirogue follows Baye Laye, the captain of a fishing pirogue as he journeys from Senegal to mainland Europe. Leading a group of 30 men – and a stowaway woman – of different religions and speaking different languages, some of whom have never seen the sea, Baye Laye will confront many perils in order to reach the distant coasts of Europe. Directed by Moussa Touré this Un Certain Regard entry at Cannes is dedicated to the 5,000 or so Africans who have died trying to cross to Europe in the last decade. The screening is kindly sponsored by the Society for Francophone Postcolonial Studies.
Screenings Edinburgh: Sat 2 Nov at 5.15pm, St John’s Church, Princes Street (see page 43) Edinburgh: Sun 3 Nov at 4.05pm, Filmhouse
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Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 228 2688
In this intelligently rendered mix of mockumentary and drama, the disappearance of the President of Cameroon a few days before the elections is a sign that the ‘spectre’ has taken over. Young people are becoming restless, intellectuals are debating national issues, prisoners are making political plans and people are asking difficult questions. With this film, which contains the stories of succession, independence and revolution, director Jean-Pierre Bekolo presents a very different African narrative, one which attempts to interrupt notions of genre, not just by mixing fiction and reality but also in its treatment of form and imagery.
Screening Edinburgh: Thu 31 Oct at 4pm, Edinburgh College of Art, Lauriston Place, Room 017 Free and non-ticketed
www.filmhousecinema.com
Feature Films A-Z
Les chevaux de Dieu (Horses of God) Nabil Ayouch | Morocco 2013 | 1h45m | Arabic and French with English subtitles | 15 Ten-year-old Yachine lives with his family in the Sidi Moumen slum in Casablanca. His older brother Hamid is the neighbourhood boss and Yachine’s protector. When Hamid is sent to jail, Yachine takes job after job, however hopeless, to try and uplift himself from the violence, misery and drugs that surround him. Released from prison, now an Islamic fundamentalist, Hamid persuades Yachine and his friends to join their “brothers“. Thoughtful and affecting, Horses of God retells a story of great political importance, reflecting on the terrorist attacks of May 2003 in Casablanca - the most devastating terrorist attacks in the country’s history.
Feature Films A-Z
Man on Ground Akin Omotoso | South Africa 2011 | 1h20m | English, Zulu, Southern Sotho and Yoruba with English subtitles | 15 There are three sides to every story. Yours, mine, and the truth. No one is lying, but memories shared serve each differently. Ade and Femi are two expatriate and estranged Nigerian brothers, living on different sides of the economic divide, their relationship tainted with unspoken betrayal, guilt and scorn which they have carried since the early days of their youth. When they reunite, the mounting violence of a young and struggling country forms the backdrop to their exchanges, eventually prompting an explosive revelation. Inspired by the 2008 xenophobic attacks in South Africa, talented expat Nigerian director Akin Omotoso creates a socially engaged film that captures the people behind the headlines.
Screenings Edinburgh: Sun 27 Oct at 8.25pm, Filmhouse Glasgow: Tue 29 Oct at 6pm, Glasgow Film Theatre
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Glasgow Film Theatre: 0141 332228 6535 Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 2688
Screening Edinburgh: Sat 26 Oct at 6.10pm, Filmhouse
www.glasgowfilm.org www.filmhousecinema.com
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Feature Films A-Z
Material Craig Freimond | South Africa 2012 | 1h33m | 15 Material is a warm and witty comedy of a dutiful Muslim son, Cassim (played by South African stand-up comedian Riaad Moosa), who works alongside his traditionalist father in the declining family run textile store in Johannesburg. Cassim is expected to take over the family business one day, but unknown to his father, is secretly honing his skills as a stand-up comic. When his father finds out, it is no laughing matter and Cassim is suddenly confronted with a stark choice that ultimately reflects the divide between traditional Muslim values and multi-cultural, modern South Africa. Can laughter, love and family overcome this divide?
Millefeuille (Hidden Beauties) Nouri Bouzid | Tunisia 2012 | 1h45m | Arabic with English subtitles | 15 Hidden Beauties is the striking tale of two young Tunisian women striving to achieve the same level of emancipation enjoyed by the male population of their country – even as their fellow citizens fight for freedom. Surrounded by the turmoil of revolution, Zaineb and Aisha are inspired to change the course of their own lives. As one woman resists putting on the veil and the other resists taking it off, the two friends stand together unrelenting in their fight. Their story resonates as a metaphor for all the uncertainties in the country’s political future. With such films as the acclaimed Bent Familia, screened at AiM 2010, Nouri Bouzid has established himself early on as an atypical Tunisian filmmaker, tackling taboo issues. Hidden Beauties, his most recent film, is a provocative deliberation on inter-religious tolerance. In Glasgow the screening will be followed by screenings of the winners of the AiM Short Film Competition.
Screenings Screening Edinburgh: Tue 29 Oct at 6.10pm, Filmhouse
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Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 228 2688
Glasgow: Wed 30 Oct at 8.15pm, Glasgow Film Theatre Edinburgh: Sat 2 Nov at 8.30pm, Filmhouse
www.filmhousecinema.com
Feature Films A-Z
Mirror Boy
Nairobi Half Life
Obi Emelonye | Nigeria 2010 | 1h27m | PG
David Tosh Gitonga | Kenya 2012 | 1h36m | English and Swahili with English Subtitles | 15
The Mirror Boy is an enthralling journey through the small West African country of The Gambia, as seen through the eyes of a Londonborn 12-year-old boy, Tijani. When Tijani gets involved in a street fight, his mother decides to take him to The Gambia to rediscover discipline and become a man. After many exhilarating adventures with a little boy called Mirror Boy, Tijani discovers that the lines between reality and fantasy, between the physical and the spiritual, are blurred. Tijani must unravel the mystery of the Mirror Boy: who is he and where does he come from? Why is Tijani the only one who can see him?
Screening Glasgow: Thu 31 Oct at 5pm, Riverford Green Space, Pollokshaws (see page 45)
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Feature Films A-Z
Glasgow Film Theatre: 0141 332228 6535 Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 2688
A young, aspiring actor from upcountry Kenya dreams of success in the big city. In pursuit of this and to the chagrin of his brother and parents, he makes his way to Nairobi: the city of opportunity. Luck, or lack of it, brings him face to face with two groups of downtown crooks and he forms a friendship with a young small-time gang leader who takes him in. Drawn into a new world of theft and violence, he continues to pursue his dream of becoming an actor. Nairobi Half Life captures the vibrant street-life of Kenya’s capital city in a colourful tale where dreams are dashed but hope prevails.
Screening Edinburgh: Fri 25 Oct at 8.50pm, Filmhouse
www.glasgowfilm.org www.filmhousecinema.com
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Feature Films A-Z
Night Drive
Of Good Report
Justin Head | South Africa 2010 | 1h43m | 15
Jahmil Qubeka | South Africa 2013 | 1h44m | Xhosa, Zulu and Sotho with English subtitles | 15
Against the tranquil backdrop of a game reserve, South African thriller Night Drive tracks a group of tourists left stranded during a night-time game drive after their vehicle breaks down. As a series of terrifying events unfolds, the tourists realise that wild animals are the least of their fears. Local legend has it that the Hyena Man – a power-obsessed madman who once traded in animal parts – heads a well-armed, well trained group of poachers who are on the hunt for human body parts and who are known to trade in live human beings.
After engaging in an illicit affair with one of his pupils, English teacher Parker Sithole spirals into an abyss of obsession that eventually turns to murder. A cinephile’s passionate homage to classic film noir, Of Good Report is a dramatic yet humorous story about a demented teacher’s attempt to get away with the murder of a teenage beauty queen. Controversially banned by the South African Film and Publication board, the film was pulled from the Durban International Film Festival in July 2013, where it was billed to be the opening film. The film was subsequently “unbanned” on the last day of the festival. In partnership with Film Africa we are delighted to have the director Jahmil Qubeka in attendance for a discussion following the screening.
Screenings Screening Edinburgh: Sun 27 Oct at 9pm, Banshee Labyrinth, Niddry Street (see page 42)
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Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 228 2688
Glasgow Opening Screening: Fri 25 Oct at 5.50pm, Glasgow Film Theatre Edinburgh: Sat 26 Oct 8.25pm, Filmhouse
www.filmhousecinema.com
Feature Films A-Z
One Man’s Show UK Premiere Newton Aduaka | France/Nigeria 2012 | 1h15m | French with English subtitles | 15 Recording key moments in the life of middleaged actor Emile (played be celebrated Cameroonian-French actor Emile Abossolo Mbo, who also features in Ezra, Africa Paradis and Les Saignantes, screened at previous AiM festivals), One Man’s Show explores the life and existential crisis of a man attempting to make sense of his fragmented past and shattered ego. The film is a bold and intelligent portrayal of an individual’s search for meaning and identity. One of the directors interviewed in Creation in Exile, screened earlier on Mon 29 Oct (see page 30), we are delighted to have Newton Aduaka in attendance to talk to the audience after the screening. Our thanks to the School of Arts and Humanities at the University of Stirling for generously supporting Newton’s attendance.
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Otelo Burning Sara Blecher | South Africa 2011 | 1h12m | English and Zulu with English subtitles | 15 Shot in Durban and set in 1989, in the final years of the crumbling system of apartheid, Otelo Burning tells the story of a group of township kids who discover the joy of surfing. When 16-year-old Otelo Buthelezi takes to the water for the first time, it is clear that he was born to surf. But then tragedy strikes. On the day that Nelson Mandela is released from prison, Otelo is forced to choose between surfing success and justice. Jealousy, betrayal and political turbulence impact the lives of these young boys in ways that will change them forever. This is a beautifully made, insightful and entertaining film that captures a turbulent time in the history of South Africa.
Screening
Screening
Edinburgh: Mon 28 Oct at 6.10pm, Filmhouse
Glasgow: Sat 26 Oct at 7pm, Govanhill Baths, 99 Calder Street (see page 44)
Glasgow Film Theatre: 0141 332228 6535 Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 2688
www.glasgowfilm.org www.filmhousecinema.com
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Feature Films A-Z
Something Necessary
The Children’s Republic
Judy Kibinge | Kenya/Germany 2013 | 1h25m | Swahili with English subtitles | 15
Flora Gomes | France/Portugal 2013 | 1h15m | 15
The past weighs heavier for some than for others. For Anne, a Kenyan woman and a victim of political and racial violence, it is heavier than conceivable. Nor is the past that light for Joseph, even though he was the culprit. They must hate each other but their stories unfold otherwise. Election violence based on ethnicity is a recurrent phenomenon in Kenya, but the destruction in 2007 was unparalleled. Something Necessary tells the true story, showing how complex things are when it is not about the statistics of a conflict but the people behind the numbers.
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In an unidentified African country, the citizens are ruled by a violent and unjust political and economic system. One day the adults run away, exhausted by the wars they triggered themselves, leaving their children behind. The children must rebuild their world and form a stable and prosperous country. When a group of traumatised child soldiers enter their country, they threaten to disrupt the peace and order of the Children’s Republic. This fantasy tale comes from renowned director Flora Gomes from Guinea-Bissau. Co-starring Danny Glover the film transports the viewer to a surrealist world ruled by children.
In partnership with festivals Film Africa and Afrika Eye, we are delighted to have director Judy Kibinge in attendance for a discussion following the screening. Judy will also present a masterclass on her filmmaking practice at the Edinburgh College of Art earlier on Fri 1 Nov (see page 51).
The screening is kindly sponsored by the University of Edinburgh’s Centre for Theology and Public Issues and will be followed by a discussion on issues of peace-making and reconciliation in film.
Screening
Screening
Edinburgh: Fri 1 Nov at 6pm, Filmhouse
Edinburgh: Sun 3 Nov at 6.10pm, Filmhouse
Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 228 2688
www.filmhousecinema.com
Feature Films A-Z
The First Grader Justin Chadwick | United Kingdom /United States/Kenya 2011 | 1h43m | 15 In a small, remote primary school in the Kenyan bush, hundreds of children are jostling for a chance to the free education newly promised by the Kenyan government. One applicant causes astonishment when he knocks on the door of the school. He is Maruge (played famed Kenyan actor Oliver Litondo), an old Mau Mau veteran in his eighties, who is desperate to reclaim the education he never had. Full of vitality and humour, the film explores the remarkable relationships Maruge builds with his junior classmates, while reminding us of the neglected history of the Mau Mau uprising against British colonial rule.
The Forgotten Kingdom UK premiere Andrew Mudge | Lesotho/South Africa 2013 | 1h37m | Sesotho with English subtitles | 15 Atang Mokoenya reluctantly leaves the hustle of Johannesburg to bury his estranged father in their remote ancestral land, the Kingdom of Lesotho, a tiny country landlocked by South Africa. Stirred by memories of his youth, he falls in love with his childhood friend Dineo, now a radiant young school teacher. Through her, Atang is drawn to the mystical beauty and hardships of the people and land he had forgotten. The Forgotten Kingdom takes us on a mesmerising road trip through the stunning rural hills of Lesotho, telling a story of romance and passion both for a country and for a woman. In Edinburgh the screening will be preceded by screenings of the winners of the AiM Short Film Competition.
Screenings Screening Edinburgh: Fri 1 Nov at 8.30pm, Filmhouse
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Glasgow Film Theatre: 0141 332228 6535 Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 2688
Glasgow: Sun 27 Oct at 1pm, Glasgow Film Theatre Edinburgh Closing Screening: Sun 3 Nov at 8.30pm, Filmhouse
www.glasgowfilm.org www.filmhousecinema.com
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Feature Films A-Z
The Good Man
The Last Flight to Abuja
Phil Harrison | South Africa/UK/Ireland 2012 | 1h15m | English and Xhosa with English subtitles | 15
Obi Emelonye | Nigeria 2012 | 81m | English | 12A
Michael (played by Irish actor Aidan Gillen of Game of Thrones fame) is a young Irishman on the way up; a wife and daughter he loves, good friends, and a promising career. Sifiso is a bright, sharp teenager living in an informal settlement in Cape Town. Hoping for a place at university, and a better future, he is inadvertently drawn deeper into the harsh struggles of township life. Worlds apart, both men find themselves faced with the same question: how to be good. And when their stories unexpectedly collide, their impact on one another’s lives is far greater, and more surprising, than either could have imagined. We are delighted to have director Phil Harrison in attendance to talk to the audience after the screening.
A set of everyday Nigerian travellers board the last Flamingo Airways flight scheduled to fly from Lagos to Abuja on a fateful Friday night in 2006. The plane cruises at 30,000 feet, tranquil and on schedule. But like a bolt out of the blue, through a mixture of human error, technical failure and sheer bad luck, the plane rapidly develops major difficulties that send it teetering on the brink of disaster. Young lovers, an elderly couple, a corporate party, a sportsman on the threshold of greatness; all the passengers are caught up in the nightmare scenario and sense the final moments of their lives approach. All... except one! What does he know? Will they survive... the last flight to Abuja? Following on from Obi Emelonye’s awardwinning film Mirror Boy (screened at AiM 2011 and again this year), The Last Flight to Abuja incorporates Nollywood stylistics while remaining accessible to both African and international audiences. Obi is one of the brightest creative minds to come out of Nollywood, and has been showing films in European cinemas since 2004.
Screening Screening Edinburgh: Sat 26 Oct at 3.20pm, Filmhouse
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Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 228 2688
Glasgow Closing Screening: Sun 3 Nov at 7pm at Calabash restaurant, 57 Union Street (see page 44)
www.filmhousecinema.com
Feature Films A-Z
Virgem Margarida (Virgin Margarida) LicĂnio Azevedo | Mozambique 2012 | 1h30m | Portuguese with English subtitles | 15 Set in Mozambique in 1975, this revealing and poignant film exposes the mindless violence perpetrated against women at the end of colonial rule. After five hundred years of Portuguese colonisation, Mozambicans raise their flag for the first time. Those who fought for independence are empowered and apply their revolutionary ideals. But thousands of women are arrested, prostitutes or presumed prostitutes, leaving their lives and sometimes their children behind. Amongst them, Margarida, a sixteen year-old peasant girl, is wrongly arrested and sent to a rehabilitation camp. Through such adversities the women are bound together as they discover their own humanity. This is their story.
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Feature Films A-Z
Yema (Mother) Djamila Sahraoui | Algeria/ France 2012 | 1h30m | Arabic with English subtitles | 15 Yema is the story of a mother (played by director Djamila Sahraoui herself) and her two sons. This Cain and Abel narrative is set against the backdrop of the barren landscape in a country torn apart by decades of civil war and fundamentalist terrorism. It shows how everyone’s life is touched by Islamic fundamentalism and how even within one closeknit family it can cause disruption and harm. A parable of the large as well as the smallscale consequences of war, this beautifully shot and powerfully acted film makes damning statements about the heartbreak of violent conflict.
Screening
Screening
Edinburgh: Sat 2 Nov at 6.20pm, Filmhouse
Edinburgh: Thu 31 Oct at 6.10pm, Filmhouse
Glasgow Film Theatre: 0141 332228 6535 Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 2688
www.glasgowfilm.org www.filmhousecinema.com
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Documentaries A-Z
Creation in Exile: Five Filmmakers in Conversation Daniela Ricci | France 2013 | 53m | French with English subtitles | 15 Newton Aduaka, John Akomfrah, Haile Gerima, Dani Kouyaté and Jean Odoutan: five major African filmmakers in ‘exile’. This documentary follows their personal and artistic paths from Paris to Washington, from Ouagadougou to London, via Uppsala. Their everyday lives echo with sequences of their films. Through the gazes of these filmmakers, in search of harmony between different cultures, masks fall and myths are smashed. Director Daniela Ricci will be joining us for a Q&A following the screening.
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Difficult Love Zanele Muholi | South Africa 2010 | 48m | English, Zulu, Xhosa and Afrikaans with English subtitles | 15 Difficult Love is an intimate, thought-provoking portrait of internationally celebrated South African lesbian photographer, Zanele Muholi, and her highly personal take on the challenges facing black lesbians in South Africa today. The film features interviews with Muholi as well as with her friends, colleagues and peers, and provides a compelling overview of the artist, her life and her work. This poignant documentary takes us behind the façade of art-making and shares with us the highly political environment Muholi must navigate in order to bring her lush photographs to light. The screening is kindly sponsored by the Sexuality, Politics, Religion in Africa (SPRA) Leverhulme Trust research project and the Centre of African Studies, both at the University of Edinburgh. Screening as part of a focus on African sexualities, director and photographer Zanele Muholi will be in attendance following the screening.
Screening
Screening
Edinburgh: Mon 28 Oct at 3.30pm, Filmhouse
Edinburgh: Wed 30 Oct at 8.45pm, Filmhouse
Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 228 2688
www.filmhousecinema.com
Documentaries A-Z
God Loves Uganda Roger Ross Williams | Uganda/US 2013 | 1h23m | 15 God Loves Uganda explores the role of the American evangelical movement in Uganda, where American missionaries have been credited with both creating schools and hospitals and promoting dangerous religious bigotry. The film follows evangelical leaders in America and Uganda along with politicians and missionaries as they attempt the radical task of eliminating “sexual sin” and converting Ugandans to fundamentalist Christianity. With unprecedented access God Loves Uganda takes viewers inside the evangelical movement in both the US and Uganda. Shocking, horrifying, touching and enlightening, the film records the culture clash between enthusiastic Midwestern missionaries and world-weary Ugandans. The screening is kindly sponsored by the Sexuality, Politics, Religion in Africa (SPRA) Leverhulme Trust research project and the Centre of African Studies, both at the University of Edinburgh. Part of the festival’s focus on sexuality in Africa, the screening will be followed by a panel discussion featuring experts on African sexuality and religion.
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La Vierge, les Coptes et moi (The Virgin, the Copts and Me) - UK premiere Namir Abdel Messeeh | France/Qatar/Egypt 2012 | 1h25m | Arabic/ French with English subtitles | 15 A non-believer born in Egypt and raised in France by his Copt parents, filmmaker Namir Abdel Messeeh has a complicated relationship with his ethno-religious heritage. After watching a video said to depict an appearance of the Virgin Mary in the region of his birthplace, Abdel Messeeh decides to head to Egypt to explore the claims of Marian apparitions that have proliferated in the country since the famous apparitions in Zeitoun in the late 1960s. The Virgin, the Copts and Me is a playful and warm personal account of the filmmaker’s attempt to better understand his roots while making his first feature film.
Screening
Screening
Edinburgh: Wed 30 Oct at 6pm, Filmhouse
Edinburgh: Sun 27 Oct at 3.20pm, Filmhouse
Glasgow Film Theatre: 0141 332228 6535 Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 2688
www.glasgowfilm.org www.filmhousecinema.com
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Documentaries A-Z
PrĂŠsident Dia
The African Cypher
Ousmane William Mbaye | Senegal 2012 | 54m | French with English subtitles | 15
Bryan Little | South Africa 2012 | 1h28m | English, Zulu, Sotho, Xhosa and Afrikaans with English Subtitles | 15
December 17, 1962: Mamadou Dia, chairman of Senegal, was arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of a coup by his friend and companion Leopold Sedar Senghor. Fifty years later, while the 2012 presidential campaign stirred the country around the values of democracy, witnesses and actors of the events of 1962 speak.
This is the physicality of the dance; the awe of a body flowing through space, flipping, spinning, and snaking as if giving birth to a new means of self-expression. Across South African cities and townships, dance has long been a mirror of the community, replaying allegorical stories that both educate and entertain. Through stunning visuals director Bryan Little harnesses the energy of the unique and diverse performance styles of isiPantsula and sBhujwa to Krump and B|boy. In an African community overpowered by crime and poverty we see how dance has enriched and even changed the lives of the inhabitants.
Screenings Screening Edinburgh: Thu 31 Oct at 2.30pm, Edinburgh College of Art, Lauriston Place, Room 017 Free and non-ticketed
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Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 228 2688
Edinburgh: Tue 29 Oct at 2pm, Edinburgh College of Art, Lauriston Place, Room 017 Free and non-ticketed Glasgow: Sun 27 Oct at 5pm, Calabash restaurant, 57 Union Street (see page 44)
www.filmhousecinema.com
Documentaries A-Z
Documentaries A-Z
The Animal Communicator - UK premiere
Touba
Craig Foster and Swati Thiyagarajan | South Africa 2012 | 52m | 15 What if you could talk to animals and have them talk back to you? Anna Breytenbach has dedicated her life to what she calls interspecies communication. She sends detailed messages to animals through pictures and thoughts. She then receives messages of remarkable clarity back from the animals. Anna can feel the scars hidden under a monkey’s fur, she can understand the detailed story that is causing a bird’s trauma, she transforms a deadly snarling leopard into a relaxed contented cat - the whole animal kingdom comes alive in a way never seen before. Wild birds land on her shoulders, fish gather around her when she swims, and wild unfamiliar baboons lie on her body as if she is one of their own. This is the first full-length documentary film on the art of animal communication.
Chai Vasarhelyi | Senegal/Canada 2013 | 1h23m | Wolof and French with English subtitles | 15 Touba reveals a different face of Islam, one which is essential in these divisive times. The film chronicles the annual Grand Magaal pilgrimage of one million Sufi Muslims to the holy Senegalese city of Touba. This dynamic and immersive observational film takes us inside the Mouride Brotherhood, one of West Africa’s most elusive organisations and one of the world’s largest Sufi communities. Shot on celluloid film, the film’s breathtakingly vivid cinematography and integrated soundtrack elevates it to the level of a humanist filmic poem.
Screenings
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Screening
Edinburgh: Sun 27 Oct at 6.10pm, Filmhouse
Edinburgh: Sat 26 Oct at 7pm, Summerhall (see page 42)
Edinburgh: Tue 29 Oct at 8pm, Brass Monkey, 14 Drummond Street (see page 43)
Glasgow Film Theatre: 0141 332228 6535 Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 2688
www.glasgowfilm.org www.filmhousecinema.com
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Documentaries A-Z
Town of Runners Jerry Rothwell | UK/Ethiopia 2011 | 52m | 15 Town Of Runners is a feature documentary about young people from the Ethiopian rural town of Bekoji, whose runners have won 8 Olympic Gold medals, 32 World Championships and broken 10 world records in the last 20 years. The film follows two girls as they strive to emulate their local heroes, making the journey from school track to national competition and from childhood to adulthood. Their mentor is a former PE Teacher who has discovered and trained many of the world’s leading long distance runners including Tirunesh and Genzebe Dibaba, Kenenisa Bekele and Deratu Tulu.
Twilight Revelations:
Episodes in the Life and Times of Emperor Haile Selassie Yemane Demissie | Ethiopia/South Africa/USA 2009 | 58m | 15 Twilight Revelations: Episodes in the Life & Times of Emperor Haile Selassie explores and analyzes watershed events during the reign of the Ethiopian emperor. Using a wealth of archival footage and photographs, the film reexamines the imperial administration through the eyes of numerous individuals who played important roles in the monarchy. The featured witnesses include attorneys, ministers of education, information and planning, a general, a Supreme Court justice, members of the royal family, the Emperor’s favorite pilot, parliamentarians, high-ranking civil servants, and members of the imperial household. The observations and narratives of these individuals shed new light on the personality, leadership style and humanity of the last and final Ethiopian emperor.
Screenings Screening Edinburgh: Tue 29 Oct at 3.30pm, Edinburgh College of Art, Lauriston Place, Room 017 Free and non-ticketed
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Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 228 2688
Edinburgh: Thu 31 Oct at 1.30pm, Edinburgh College of Art, Lauriston Place, Room 017 Free and non-ticketed Glasgow: Fri 1 Nov at 7pm, African & Caribbean Centre, 66 Osborne Street (see page 45)
www.filmhousecinema.com
Documentaries A-Z
Documentaries A-Z La Vierge, les Coptes et moi
Two Wings Many Prayers UK Premiere
The African Cypher
Lloyd Ross | South Africa 2013 | 52m |French with English subtitles | 15 Two friends with a love for aviation and adventure decide to design and build their own tiny aircraft. As if this isn’t challenge enough, they also want to put their money where their mouth is and attempt to fly the little single engine two-seater around the world. Technically, attempting to fly around the world in such an aircraft may just be possible, but without a doubt it would be a highrisk endeavor that most pilots would classify as insanity.
Town of Runners
James Pitman and Mike Blyth aren’t aeronautical engineers, they’re not even mechanics. But they have seen a gap in the market for an affordable, reliable light aircraft and decide to go for it, hoping to make the deadline for Oshkosh, the world’s greatest airshow. With the clock ticking down, they rush to complete the build of the plucky little plane that will become known as The Sling. Difficult Love
Screening Edinburgh: Sat 26 Oct at 8pm, Summerhall (see page 42)
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Glasgow Film Theatre: 0141 332228 6535 Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 2688
www.glasgowfilm.org www.filmhousecinema.com
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Short Film Competition Edinburgh: Mon 28 Oct at 8.25pm, Filmhouse Glasgow: Mon 28 Oct at 7pm, South Block, free and non-ticketed For the sixth consecutive year, AiM has invited African filmmakers to submit short films of up to 30 minutes for our annual Short Film Competition. From the dozens of submissions, 5 films have been shortlisted, comprising a diverse and captivating collection of work from across the continent. The Short Film Competition is part of AiM’s commitment to nurturing young African filmmaking talent. The winner is selected by our jury of acclaimed film practitioners and academics and will be announced immediately after the screenings. The audience will also have the opportunity to vote for their favourite films with the Audience Award winner announced at the closing screenings of the festival where the winning shorts will be screened again prior to the screening of Hidden Beauties (Wed 30 Oct, GFT) and The Forgotten Kingdom (Sun 3 Nov, Filmhouse). Our thanks go to The Africa Channel and Buni TV for sponsoring the prize money for the Short Film Competition. The jury members are: Noe Mendelle (director, Scottish Documentary Institute), David Archibald (University of Glasgow), Mark Cousins (filmmaker), Zina Saro-Wiwa (filmmaker), and Rungano Nyoni (filmmaker and winner of the 2012 Africa in Motion Short Film Competition).
Kanyekanye - UK Premiere Miklas Manneke | South Africa 2013 | 26m | Zulu with English subtitles In a township in South Africa, an argument about which apple is better, the red or the green, causes the greatest divide in the town’s history. A big white line is drawn through the middle of the town to divide the lovers of green and red apples. The one rule that greens and reds do not mix is broken when Thomas, a boy from the green side of town, falls in love with Thandi, a girl from the red side of town. A colourful parody of segregation, Kanyekanye is a magical take on the new South Africa.
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Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 228 2688
Al Layla al Akheera (When They Slept) - UK Premiere Maryam Touzani | Morocco 2012 | 18m | Arabic with English subtitles with English subtitles Amina, a young widowed mother of three, takes care of her small family, with the precious help of her father, Hashem. The old man, vigorous and lively, has a very special relationship with the youngest child, Sara. The sensitive and mischievous eight-year-old will let neither death nor tradition come between her and her grandfather.
www.filmhousecinema.com
Kwaku Ananse Akosua Adoma Owusu | Ghana/Mexico/UK 2013 | 25m | Twi with English subtitles Kwaku Ananse is an intensely personal project which draws upon the rich mythology of Ghana. This short film combines semi-autobiographical elements with the tale of Kwaku Ananse, a trickster in West African stories who appears as both spider and man. The fable is combined with the story of a young outsider named Nyan Koronhwea attending her estranged father’s funeral. When she arrives at the funeral, she retreats to the woods in search for her father.
Sabbat El Aid (My Shoes) UK Premiere Anis Lassoued | Tunisia 2012 | 30m | Tunisian dialect with English subtitles 25m | Twi with English subtitles Nine-year-old Nader loves to run, as if he wants to defy gravity. We follow him as he journeys through his village, down winding paths bordered with lush green forests, greeting each neighbour as he passes, until he climbs up a large mountain to the tallest point where he looks down over his small village with a sense of awe and freedom. While shopping for Eid clothes with his parents, he sets his heart on a pair of expensive shoes beyond what his father can afford. A touching short that transports the audience into a boy’s dream world through the magic of animation.
Shoeshine Amil Shivji | Tanzania 2013 | 24m | Swahili with English subtitles Set in a busy street of Dar es Salaam, a shoeshine boy offers us a conscious and subconscious perspective of the space and people of his city ranging from the local politician to students as well as the neighbour tea-maker. This short film is both a social commentary and an artistic depiction of the life, aspirations and perspectives of a working child.
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Glasgow Film Theatre: 0141 332228 6535 Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 2688
www.glasgowfilm.org www.filmhousecinema.com
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Events: Children & Youth
Edinburgh schools screenings Aya of Yop City Tue 29 Oct at 10am, Filmhouse (see page 17) Adventures in Zambezia Wed 30 Oct at 10am, Filmhouse (see page 17) Africa in Motion has partnered with the first National Youth Film Festival (NYFF), a nationwide programme of free film screenings and related activities for children aged five to 19. The festival is an annual celebration of film and cinema, enabling young people across the UK to enjoy a wide variety of films and learn about filmmaking and the film industry. As part of NYFF we will be screening two African animations at Filmhouse, Aya of Yop City (for secondary schools) and Adventures in Zambezia (for primary schools). These screenings will be free of charge and participating schools will receive teaching resources on the films to complement topics in the curriculum, develop review writing and critical skills, and teach pupils about film and filmmaking.
Edinburgh Zoo schools screenings Adventures in Zambezia Thu 31 Oct, Edinburgh Zoo, 134 Corstorphine Road Screening 1: 10.30am (followed by a tour) Screening 2: 1pm (preceded by a tour) £5 per student Edinburgh Zoo is one of Europe’s leading centres of conservation, education and research. Each year their extensive education programme aims to raise awareness and understanding of the fragility of life on this planet, and our responsibility to take care of it. This year Africa in Motion have partnered with Edinburgh Zoo to hold two school screenings of the South African animation Adventures in Zambezia (see page 17), with each screening followed by a tour of the Zoo. To book for the screenings and tours please contact Justine Atkinson at email: justine@ africa-in-motion.org.uk.
To book for the NYFF/AiM screenings, visit: www.nationalyouthfilmfestival.org
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Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 228 2688
www.filmhousecinema.com
Glasgow children’s day African Storytelling: Tawona Sitholé Sat 26 Oct at 11.15am, GFT Better known as Ganyamatope, Zimbabwean storyteller Tawona Sitholé is a son from the ancestral family Moyo Chirandu. Over the ages, his family’s values have been maintained and expressed through the spoken word and mbira music. Using traditional influences, Tawona has developed a contemporary style of expression, often using humour to challenge stereotypes.
Edinburgh children’s day Adventures in Zambezia Sat 2 Nov at 11am, Filmhouse The South African animation Adventures in Zambezia (see page 17) is screening as part of AiM’s hugely popular annual children’s day, followed by an African storytelling event. African Storytelling: Starbird Sat 2 Nov at 1.00pm, Filmhouse Free but ticketed (tickets available from Filmhouse box office) The Starbird is a most beautiful bird, with sparkling wings that touch the sky. When the sun sets, she flies way up high, and magically lights up the stars until they sing, giggle and glow. What happens when a wicked hunter appears in the Starbird’s forest...can she escape him and save her family? Inspired by Booker prize-winning Nigerian author Ben Okri, Starbird’s story is told through a dazzling combination of African-inspired music, story, dance, costume, puppetry and interactive storytelling by much-loved AiM storyteller Mara Menzies from Toto Tales.
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Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 2688 Glasgow Film Theatre: 0141 332228 6535
As part of AiM’s children’s day, Tawona will present a fun, interactive storytelling session, exploring the storytelling traditions of Southern Africa. Be ready to get involved. Bring your fun side! Adventures in Zambezia Sat 26 Oct at 11.50am, GFT Adventures in Zambezia (see page 17) is screening as part of AiM’s children’s day in Glasgow. This year’s children’s day is hosted in partnership with Glasgow Film Theatre Take 2. Take 2 is a weekly family event run by Glasgow Film Theatre. Full the full programme of events, visit www.glasgowfilm.org.uk. Glasgow Young Scot or Kidz Card holders and an accompanying adult get in FREE to these shows (these tickets can only be issued on the day of the screening)! All other tickets cost £4.50. Each child’s ticket admits one adult free of charge. Children under the age of 8 must be accompanied.
www.glasgowfilm.org www.filmhousecinema.com
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Opening and closing events Edinburgh opening reception Thu 24 Oct, 10pm – 1am Cargo Bar, 129 Fountainbridge Entry free with your cinema ticket Following the screening of Edinburgh opening film Grigris (see page 19) everyone is invited to the opening reception at Cargo Bar. Complete with live music from Edinburgh-based Afrobeat/electronic musician Law, an African DJ set, complimentary African canapés and South African wine, it is set to be a truly memorable evening. Creating futuristic music melding Africa, the Caribbean and the creaking dregs of empire, Law’s urgent, rasped whisper and contrasting diva wail is reminiscent at times of Billie Holiday or Sade. In contemporary terms, Law has been grouped with emerging female artists including Karin Anderson (The Knife/Fever Ray) and Claire Boucher (Grimes). www.lawholt.com.
Glasgow opening reception Fri 25 Oct, 8.30pm – 1am CCA, 350 Sauchiehall Street, Free Entry After the screening of Of Good Report (see page 24) everyone is warmly invited to an opening reception at Centre of Contemporary Art (CCA) for a live performance by Edinburghbased Afrobeat/Electronic artist Law, music provided by Yebo DJs and DJ Chief Boima of Okay Africa/Africa is a Country (Hip Hop, Afrobeat and Highlife), and complimentary South African wine and African canapés. Chief Boima is a Sierra Leonean-American electronic musician, DJ and writer.
Glasgow closing screening and VJ event Sun 3 Nov, 7pm Calabash restaurant, 57 Union Street £5 (fee includes film ticket and buffet) This event will see the last of our three screenings at Calabash and the final Glasgow screening of the festival. To see out AiM 2013, we will be following the screening of The Last Flight to Abuja (see page 28) with a West African buffet of tasty food straight from the Calabash kitchen and an East African inspired live VJ event. A phenomenon has emerged predominantly in Kenya and Tanzania that is further experimenting with film exhibition. VJs, each with their own distinctive personality, and humour, frame the action within the film with their own quirky style. We’ll be bringing the trend to Calabash, utilising AiM’s ever growing short film collection. Calabash’s resident Nigerian DJ will be on hand later to make sure we’re able to dance the festival out in style.
Yebo residents; Dandy Riots (Sex Cult Records), Trill Spector (This is Music) and Floatingboy (Juice) are teaming up to blend together the best African Music and dark electronic Hip Hop found on the deep web. The set will be accompanied by live visuals from video artists; Stella Wan (GSA) and Steven Morrison (ECA).
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Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 228 2688
www.filmhousecinema.com
Film Africa – London’s biggest celebration of African cinema – returns for a third year running. 10 days of the best African fiction and documentary films from across the continent accompanied by a vibrant programme of events including director Q&As, panel discussions, youth and children’s workshops, Film Africa LIVE! sessions and FREE screenings. Sign up for special offers, book tickets and view the full festival programme at www.filmafrica.org.uk Follow us and stay up-to-date with our news: facebook.com/FilmAfricaUK @FilmAfrica Brought to you by
Supported by
Hosted by
Miles Morland
afrikaeye.org.uk 8 – 10 November 2013 Afrika Eye is now in its 8th year and has become a popular event in Bristol’s cultural calendar. Our live music opening party is famous! Each year we screen the best of African films made from an African perspective at the prestigious Watershed Media Centre. Our themes this year are ‘Belonging’, with strong connotations for the 25% of Bristol’s population who come from overseas, and our large Caribbean and Somali communities; and ‘Kenya’ to commemorate its 50th anniversary of Independence. These form the basis for school workshops, university masterclasses and lively panel discussions between films next to the lovely Watershed café and bar. Over the years we’ve celebrated our different themes with football tournaments, circus performances and contemporary dance companies. We work with African and African heritage communities in programming, entertainment and discussions, and host industry workshops to help train community members to a higher level. This year we are holding a pitching workshop and have supported two local film makers to complete their projects. Outside the festival weekend we tour films to other cinemas and respond to many requests for screenings from African community organisations. Afrika Eye has a warm heart, and we welcome you to join us and celebrate the arts and cultures of the rich African experience.
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Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 228 2688
www.filmhousecinema.com
Edinburgh Nomad Cinema Over the years we have seen the festival grow and grow and this success is thanks to our loyal audiences, and your belief in the power of African films. This year to say thank you we have created a travelling cinema, called the AiM Nomad Cinema, which takes films outside of the traditional cinema venues to create pop-up screenings in bars, churches, empty swimming pools, on buses and more.
Horror Film Night Sun 27 Oct, 9pm - 3am Banshee Labyrinth, Niddry St £5 per ticket on the door Once part of Edinburgh’s infamous underground vaults, the Banshee Labyrinth is one of Scotland’s most haunted pubs. Now home to the tortured souls of thieves, criminals and the very unsavoury, it provides a perfect setting for our African horror film evening. African horror is a tricky genre to get right. Horror movies, almost by their nature, have to step across lines of political correctness. But portrayal of Africans in film is historically tainted by racialised imagery and superficial presentations of magical beliefs in various cultures.
South African adventures at the Summerhall Sat 26 Oct, 7pm - 9pm Summerhall, Red lecture theatre Free and non-ticketed The Animal Communicator at 7pm (see page 33) Two Wings Many Prayers at 8pm (see page 35) The Summerhall is one of Edinburgh’s newest and biggest arts venues, the former Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies in Edinburgh, now a creative hub for arts and sciences. In keeping with its history we are screening two African documentaries about adventure and the art of animal communication.
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Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 228 2688
Yet those aspects of African society – animist beliefs, sangomas (‘witch doctors’), the merging of magical realism into many aspects of everyday life – provide a rich stew for filmmakers to dip into, and are arguably among the defining characteristics of classic African storytelling. They provide a wonderful shortcut for getting straight to the (often bloody) heart of the tale. No ‘origins’. No exposition. Just a descent into the pit. These cultural influences, used well, allow African horror to be almost uniquely sparse and economical in its aim of making you, dear viewer, squirm and sweat. We have chosen several of our favourite spine-chillers - some short, some feature-length - and invite you to jump into the pit with us. We take no responsibility for what happens next… We are screening the South African horror film Night Drive at 9pm (see page 24) plus several African horror shorts.
www.filmhousecinema.com
An Islamic pilgrimage at Brass Monkey Tue 29 Oct at 8pm Brass Monkey, 14 Drummond St Free and non-ticketed Entering the Brass Monkey takes you into a colourful world of mysticism and travel; its Moroccan style lounge fuses with a traditional Scottish pub making it a truly unique experience. We will offer you a sanctuary from daily toils as you can lie back on mounds of mattresses and cushions and get swept away on a pilgrimage of one million Sufi Muslims to the holy Senegalese city of Touba (see page 33).
Journey at St John’s
AiM Movie Bus Fri 1 Nov at 8pm The Three Sisters Bar, 139 Cowgate £5 per ticket on the door, includes complimentary cocktail Come and enjoy a night on the AiM Movie Bus as we take you on a wild ride of sex, money and murder along the east coast of South Africa. Durban Poison (see page 18) follows the relationship between two lovers whose passionate affair self-destructed: they ended up as serial killers, South Africa’s version of Bonnie and Clyde, killing four people in a game of sex for money. The bus is located outside The Three Sisters pub and each audience member will receive a complimentary cocktail upon arrival. So hop aboard, fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the ride!
Sat 2 Nov at 5.15pm St John’s Church Hall, Princes Street (use terrace entrance) Free and non-ticketed St John’s is a thriving Scottish Episcopal church at the heart of Scotland’s beautiful capital city, located on Princes Street, just around the corner from Filmhouse. Here we will be screening The Pirogue (see page 20), a film illuminating the moving and often tragic human stories behind the headlines about illegal immigration.
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Glasgow Film Theatre: 0141 332 6535
www.glasgowfilm.org
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Glasgow Nomad Cinema
South Africa Underwater at Govanhill Baths Sat 26 Oct at 7pm Govanhill Community Baths, 99 Calder Street Free and non-ticketed Govanhill Baths were first opened in 1917 by the municipal fathers and over the course of 85 years it established itself as a centre for the community in the ethnically diverse South of Glasgow. In 2001 the council announced that they were closing the baths. Over 10 years of protest from the determined Govanhill residents ensued and finally last year they were successful when it was announced that the baths would be restored. The protests were staged in the form of innovative cultural events that regularly popped up in the building. Africa in Motion are excited to collaborate with the Govanhill Baths Community Trust to further engage Glasgow communities with a space-specific pop-up screening of Sara Blecher’s acclaimed feature, Otelo Burning (see page 25).
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Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 228 2688
African films at Calabash Calabash restaurant, 57 Union Street Dance over Crime: Sun 27 Oct at 5pm: The African Cypher (see page 32) Free and non-ticketed Justice, Absolution and Reconciliaton in Rwanda: Sat 2 Nov at 5pm: The Pardon (see page 19) Free and non-ticketed Lagos to Abuja: Sun 3 Nov at 7pm: The Last Flight to Abuja (see page 28) £5 on the door Opened by Kenyan owners in 2011, Scotland’s premier pan-African bar and restaurant is the unofficial municipal for African communities in Glasgow complete with a welcoming atmosphere with sharp fashion and animated conversation buzzing around in different languages. Adding to a diverse programme of music and events at Calabash, AiM will screen three films from three different countries in Calabash over the course of the festival, appealing to the diverse demographic of the venue.
www.filmhousecinema.com
GHA and AiM present: Halloween at Riverford Thu 31 Oct, 3.30pm – 7.30pm Riverford Green space, corner of Shawbridge Street and Riverford Road, Pollokshaws Free and non-ticketed AiM are working with Glasgow Housing Association (GHA) to deliver a celebratory community event on Halloween night for children and families of the Pollokshaws community. Celebrating over a year of development work to the Riverford area, we will host Halloween themed workshops, African storytelling sessions and a screening of Obi Emelonye’s Mirror Boy (see page 23) at 5pm. Situated beside one of Glasgow’s oldest graveyards, we’re ready to thrill the living daylights out of you! Please note that this is an outdoor event - we advise you to dress for wet conditions.
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Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 2688 Glasgow Film Theatre: 0141 332228 6535
Twilight Revelations:
Episodes in the Life and Times of Emperor Haile Selassie Fri 1 Nov at 7pm African & Caribbean Centre, 66 Osborne Street Free and non-ticketed The African & Caribbean Centre is one of Glasgow’s hidden gems. The centre serves as a headquarters for the Glasgow Afro-Caribbean network, formed in 2005 to support Glasgow’s various Afro-Caribbean communities and promote inclusion. The centre is run entirely by volunteers, who endeavour to host regular events including open mic nights, community events, fundraisers, and the mighty Bass Warrior soundsystem bringing in exotica and world-music acts from around the African continent. At this event, we will be screening Ethiopian documentary Twilight Revelations: Episodes in the Life and Times of Emperor Haile Selassie (see page 34).
www.filmhousecinema.com www.glasgowfilm.org
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Immigration stories I am Real
Immigration stories from across Scotland and Beyond Fri 25 Oct, 9am - 5pm Centre for Contemporary Arts, 350 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow Free and non-ticketed Immigration Stories from across Scotland and Beyond is hosted in partnership with Document film festival. Africa in Motion and Document invited immigrants from all over the world to submit their immigration stories on film. Bringing together many of these films, the programme has been curated thematically and will include panel discussions facilitated by NGOs working with refugees in Glasgow. Through this event we want to give an opportunity to immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers and people from diaspora communities living in Scotland, to share their stories and experiences of their lives in Scotland. Document is the only dedicated international human rights documentary film festival in Scotland, a grassroots initiative that aims to use film as an advocacy tool to raise the profile and promote debate of human rights & social issues across the globe. We will also screen the Immigration Stories programme at Stills Gallery in Edinburgh throughout October (see page 51).
Film listings and times 9am – 9.30am
Registration
9.30am – 9.45am Welcome 9.45am – 12.00pm Imagination Where is Billet? | 20 min Tu Seras Mon Allie (You will be my Ally) | 20min Fragments of a Love Story | 15min Discussion 12.00pm – 1.00pm Lunch Break 1.00pm – 3.15pm In Scotland Courage | 2min I am Real | 12min Destitution | 8m Making it Home | 5min Making it Home - The making of | 10min Our Life Stories – Episode One: Tawona from Zimbabwe | 40min Discussion 3.15pm – 3.30pm Coffee Break 3.30pm – 5.00pm Bridges Here we stay | 30min Joy, It’s Nina | 34min Discussion
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Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 228 2688
www.filmhousecinema.com
Where is Billet? Paul James Gomez | Bangladesh/UK 2011 | English/Bengali with English Subtitles |20m
Fragments of a Love Story
I have recently made a decision to immigrate to the UK from Bangladesh. Europe in general is referred as Billet in the Indian Subcontinent. It’s a desired place where millions of people want to come to find their dreams. Aside from visa issues, I didn’t think it would be a difficult journey. But to make a home in a foreign country is a complex emotional journey.
Sana Bilgrami | Scotland/Pakistan/Canada 2011 | Urdu with English Subtitles | 15m
This film reflects this journey and explores the experience of emigration among the people I know in the UK who have made a similar decision.
At the turn of the 20th century, Sana Bilgrami’s great-grandfather travelled to Edinburgh from India to study medicine. One hundred years later, coincidentally living in Edinburgh herself, the filmmaker pieces together fragments of memory and archive to invoke a forgotten story of love and sorrow.
Tu Seras Mon Allie (You will be my Ally) Rosine Mbakam | Cameroon/Belgium 2012 | French with English Subtitles | 20m Tu Seras Mon Allié (You will be my Ally) is a short film by Cameroonian director Rosine Mfetgo Mbakam and depicts the story of Domé, a 35 year old woman from Gabon, travelling to Europe. Domé is stopped at the airport in Brussels, Belgium, due to discrepancies with her paperwork. She faces a long and gruelling ordeal. During lengthy interrogations by Belgian airport officials, Domé becomes anxious as to whether or not she’ll realise her desire of entering the European country.
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Glasgow Film Theatre: 0141 332 6535
I am Real Benjamin Hunter | Scotland 2011 | English | 12 min An Egyptian refugee forced to abandon his family and flea his home country to avoid persecution, young Adam has gone through more than most. In this short film, Adam recounts the journey of sacrifice he made in 2010; how that has moulded and changed him into the person he is today and whether, given the choice, he would go back and change the past. Shot in and around central Glasgow, the film reflects on themes of home, memory and gender.
www.glasgowfilm.org
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Immigration stories Making it Home Rana Ali, Karima Hussaini, Nkechi First Kanu-Nwabuisi, Armani Meango, Sarah Madziwa, Mehrab F. Moghadam | Scotland 2011 | English | 2m10sec
Courage Scottish Refugee Council & Media Co-op| Scotland 2011 | English | 2m10sec Celebrating 60 Years of the UN Refugee Convention, Courage is a two-minute documentary featuring two people who have come to Scotland in very different circumstances, but who both fled for their lives. Rosa came to Scotland during the Second World War to flea Nazi Germany whereas Christian came to Scotland to escape the civil war ravaging the Democratic Republic of Congo. Rosa and Christian meet for the first time and we learn why they have something very important in common. The film was made by six men and women from across the world - who all came to Scotland seeking safety.
Destitution Scottish Refugee Council & Chris Leslie | Scotland 2012 | English | 8m Absolute poverty or destitution refers to those who lack basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. One in four people seeking asylum in Scotland are destitute.
17 women from 10 countries in two cities over nine months. They start with five poems and create four films. None of the women had ever made a film before; the Scottish participants had never met a refugee before. They found common ground they’d never expected. All of them know what it feels like and what it means to be far from home, or not to have a home at all. Their films explore ideas and feelings about home, loss, and belonging. Making it Home was facilitated by the Refugee Survival Trust and Media Co-op
Making it Home: The making of Rana Ali, Karima Hussaini, Nkechi First Kanu-Nwabuisi, Armani Meango, Sarah Madziwa, Mehrab F. Moghadam | Scotland 2011 | English | 10min What is home? Where is home? Where do I belong? The behind-the-scenes account of the participatory poetry and filmmaking Making it Home project traces the journey of 17 brave women learning skills, building unlikely friendships and discovering new forms of creative self-expression. Asylum seekers and refugees from Glasgow collaborated with local women from Pilton in Edinburgh, to tell their stories on screen, using styles from animation to documentary to drama. This film is a ten-minute glimpse of how they got there and how they changed along the way. Making it Home was facilitated by the Refugee Survival Trust and Media Co-op.
This provocative short film follows the lives of three destitute asylum seekers in Glasgow and highlights how you survive in 21st Century Glasgow with no housing support, no income or no right to work.
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Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 228 2688
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Here We Stay Scottish Refugee Council & the Citizens Theatre | Scotland 2012 | English | 30 min Here We Stay is a powerful and insightful documentary created by refugees, asylum seekers and local Scots who took part in an arts project by Scottish Refugee Council and the Citizens Theatre, which mixed theatre, music and song. The film provides a unique opportunity to hear the reflections of those seeking refuge in Glasgow today and celebrates the rich and diverse life stories of refugees and local residents, as first captured through theatre and music production Here We Stay, which was performed at the Citizens Theatre in November 2012. The film was supported by Creative Scotland’s First in a Lifetime Fund and the Russell and Craignish Trusts, in 2012.
Our Life Stories – Episode One: Tawona from Zimbabwe Gameli Tordzro | Scotland 2011 | English | 40m Better known as Ganyamatope, Zimbabwean storyteller Tawona Sitholé is a son from the ancestral family Moyo Chirandu. Over the ages, his family’s values have been maintained and expressed through the spoken word and mbira music, and these values have had a huge impact on his own identity as an African in the diaspora. Tawona talks about the challenges and importance of maintaining your true identity in a land where African identity is dictated by the stereotypical representations depicted in Western media.
Joy, It’s Nina Joy Elias-Rilvan and Jane Thorburn | UK 2012 | English and Yoruba with English Subtitles | 34m Shot in England and Nigeria by Jane Thorburn, this evocative and original film builds on the experiences and emotional lives of West African women living in the UK separated from their families. The stories are based on news and court reports and Joy Elias-Rilwan’s own life, including voicemails left on her answer-machine by the legendary singer Nina Simone, her friend and self-proclaimed ‘Spiritual Mother’. The film explores a contemporary visual language that centres on how a woman of West African origin inhabits an alien and sometimes hostile landscape. Through performance and environment the film juxtaposes sound and image in surprising ways to offer moving interpretations of identity politics and the place of a woman in two different societies.
Our Stories: Tawona from Zimbabwe is one of three documentaries that aim to cover untold live inspirational stories of struggles, fears, aspirations, resilience, determination, excellence and success of immigrants from African communities in Scotland.
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Glasgow Film Theatre: 0141 332228 6535 Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 2688
www.glasgowfilm.org www.filmhousecinema.com
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Events SAFTEC/AiM reception Sat 26 Oct at 11pm Filmhouse café bar Free and non-ticketed
Kanyekanye
Edinburgh VJ night Fri 25 Oct, 7pm – 10pm Bongo Club, 66 Cowgate Free and non-ticketed Earlier this year, through a happy accident, we came across an idea for introducing people to African short films. It’s not VJ-ing in the traditional sense – in this case the initials stand for Video Jukebox. Quite simply, we will bring a wide selection of the very best shorts from our collection, covering a range of genres from comedy to sci-fi to documentary to... well, you get the idea. From the box of treasures on offer, you can browse through the catalogue and see what appeals to you. There will be a provisional running order, but you, the audience, are welcome (nay, encouraged!) to request anything that catches your interest, and let the evening find its own direction. This relaxed format allows for brief discussions of the films, and even repeat screenings by popular demand. If you want to take a break, feel free to come and go as you please. Every film featured in the catalogue has been a big hit at previous festivals or tours, so whatever the final programme evolves into, you can be sure it is ‘all killer, no filler’.
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Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 228 2688
In July this year, Africa in Motion partnered with the South African Film Training and Events Consortium (SAFTEC), with the purpose of organising a touring festival of South African cinema across the UK in Oct, in celebration of 20 years of South African freedom and democracy. We are pleased to welcome a delegation of SAFTEC members to AiM. Come along to this reception for a complimentary glass of wine and to learn more about the proposed touring film festival (see page 54).
Distribution forum Mon 28 Oct, 10am - 1pm Edinburgh College of Art, Boardroom, 5th floor Evolution House, 78 West Port Free and non-ticketed This forum will look at the burgeoning African film industry and the new and exciting possibilities emerging for African films. It will draw on the experience and expertise of leading industry professionals who will share their insights into filmmaking, film festivals and film distribution. Key speakers include: Newton Aduaka (filmmaker), Basil Dube (Southern African Regional Security for the Pan-African Filmmakers Federation - FEPACI), and Lizelle Bisschoff (Africa in Motion founder). The forum will include the following panels: Panel 1: Opening new markets for African film Panel 2: The role of film festivals in the distribution of African films Panel 3: The freedom for African filmmakers to tell their own stories
www.filmhousecinema.com
Events
Events
Immigration Stories at Stills Throughout October Stills Gallery 23 Cockburn Street, Edinburgh Free and non-ticketed As part of AiM 2013’s focus on immigration, we will be screening the film programme from Immigration Stories, taking place at CCA, Glasgow (see pages 46-49), at Stills Gallery in Edinburgh throughout the month of October. Immigration Stories will sit cohesively within Stills’ 3-year long research project, Image/ Identity. This project is exploring how the movement of people from one place to another has become a normal part of contemporary society through themes of migration, diaspora, transnationalism and multi-culturalism, with an extensive 3-year long programme of events and exhibitions. www.stills.org
Judy Kibinge Masterclass Fri 1 Nov, 2pm – 5pm Edinburgh College of Art, Lauriston Place, Room 017 Free and non-ticketed
Afrinolly reception Wed 30 Oct, 8pm - 10pm Cabaret Voltaire, 36 Blair Street, Edinburgh Free and non-ticketed The Cabaret Voltaire resides deep in the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town, known as one of the city’s most exciting venues it is a place of alternative music and effortless coolness. In keeping with its classy ambience, Afrinolly, AiM’s main corporate sponsor, invites you to a night of live African music, African canapés and South African wine. Afrinolly is revolutionising the way people access audio-visual media in Africa with a mobile phone app that enables African movies and entertainment enthusiasts to watch movie trailers, music videos, comedy and full-length movies via YouTube. With 3 million plus downloads across various operating systems namely Android, iOS, BlackBerry, Nokia, Windows and Java-enabled phones Afrinolly is currently the most downloaded African entertainment app designed and developed in Africa.
Judy Kibinge is a talented Kenyan filmmaker and has made several fiction and documentary films to high acclaim. In this masterclass Judy will show clips from her films and talk about her filmmaking practice. We are screening Judy’s most recent feature film, Something Necessary, at Filmhouse at 6pm on the same day (see page 26).
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Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 2688 Glasgow Film Theatre: 0141 332228 6535
www.filmhousecinema.com www.glasgowfilm.org
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Art Exhibitions ProExposure – African Stories Filmhouse café bar for the duration of the festival Eyes are turning to Africa and new pictures – fresh, dynamic and as diverse as the continent itself - are emerging. The time has come to let go of old representations of poverty and war, as shaped by the West, and to recognise the emergence of a new Africa, with Africans creating their own images and telling their own stories. To learn about Africa we must listen to these authentic voices. The images show an Africa of beauty and blessings, fun and joy, hope and possibility. They show an Africa that is ordinary and extraordinary – and real. Now Africans can project their own images across the globe. The exhibition is in two parts. The café bar showcases the work of three Ethiopian photographers as they interpret Africa in Motion’s 2013 theme of “Twende” – movement. Frewoini Gebre Mariam, from rural Tigray, Ataklti Mulu from Mekele, and Ashenafi Gudeta from Addis Ababa all trained with ProExposure in 2005 and now pursue photography in different ways. Frewoini runs a small rural photo studio, Ataklti undertakes commissioned work, and Ashe is a freelance photographer and filmmaker and official photographer for the Great Ethiopian Run. The corridor becomes a gallery of portraits of a number of ProExposure trainees, along with their stories. ProExposure is a Community Interest Company which trains photographers in Africa, enabling them to tell their own stories in images and helping them to find their place amongst those photographers who are redefining Africa’s image.
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Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 228 2688
Noble Eagle/Wily Fox, an exhibition by Rachel Jones Repositioned Repositioned 125 Argyle Street, Glasgow (above The Finnieston) Exhibition runs: 19 Oct - 8 Nov Exhibition Preview event: Fri 18 Oct, 6pm - 9pm Noble Eagle/Wily Fox is the first solo show from Glasgow School of Art graduate Rachel Jones following on from her critically acclaimed degree show in June 2013. Noble Eagle/Wily Fox is a combination of paintings from Jones’ degree show and a series of new works created in response to Africa in Motion’s festival theme, Twende: Africa on the Move. Responding to the idea of movement, Jones has developed a series of paintings that consider action and consequence of inaction. The work discusses politics, land, the weight of entrapment, and the delight of freedom. And they focus on joy, lots and lots of joy. Rachel Jones recently exhibited at the Glasgow School of Art Painting & Printmaking Degree Show. Her exhibition received a number of acclaimed awards including The Steven Campbell Trust Hunt Medal for Poetic Creativity 2013, the inaugural 108 Fine Art Purchase Prize, and the RSA: New Contemporaries. The latter will give the artist an opportunity to develop her work further with a prestigious show at The Royal Scottish Academy in February 2014. We would like to invite you to join us at the exhibition preview event at 6pm on Fri 18 Oct at Repositioned Repositioned gallery for a complimentary drink and an exclusive view of Noble Eagle/Wiley Fox. Thereafter, the gallery will be open on Saturdays and Sundays and by appointment Monday - Friday.
www.filmhousecinema.com
Stirling Events Newton Aduaka Masterclass Wed 30 Oct, 2pm - 4pm macrobert, University of Stirling Free but ticketed Award-winning Nigerian director Newton Aduaka (see page 14) will show clips from his films and talk about his filmmaking practice in this masterclass, followed by a screening of his acclaimed feature film Ezra. Our thanks to the School of Arts and Humanities at the University of Stirling for generously supporting Newton’s visit to AiM. Noble Eagle/Wily Fox
Ezra Newton Aduaka | Nigeria/France/Austria/UK 2007 | 1h42m | 15 Wed 30 Oct, 7.30pm macrobert, University of Stirling To book tickets please visit www.macrobert.org
ProExposure
In the year 2000, it was estimated that some 300,000 children were serving as soldiers in armed conflicts in more than thirty countries around the world. Almost half of them were engaged in various conflicts on the African continent. Inspired by his own war-torn upbringing, Aduaka’s film is the story of sevenyear-old Ezra, who is kidnapped by rebels on the way to school. After he was taken into the jungle and trained as a soldier, Ezra finds himself seven years later in front of a “Truth and Reconciliation Commission,” which asks him to piece together a maze of facts surrounding the night of a devastating attack on a village. What is presented as a confession turns into a trial as his mute sister chooses to reveal a secret kept from her brother. Winner of the grand prize at the 2007 FESPACO film festival, Ezra is a hard-hitting film but deals with its difficult and relevant subject matter in a poignant and sensitive fashion.
Ezra
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Director Newton Aduaka will be in attendance to talk to the audience after the screening.
www.glasgowfilm.org
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Events Announcement: South African film festival We are pleased to announce an AiM touring film festival of South African cinema throughout the UK in October 2014. This touring festival will be held in conjunction with the UK-based Afrovibes Festival produced by UK Arts International (www.ukarts.com) and the South African Film Training and Events Consortium (SAFTEC). 2014 marks 20 years of South African freedom and democracy, and this touring film festival will explore the history of South Africa through film, with a broad programme of films including early anti-apartheid cinema to the most recent internationally acclaimed post-apartheid South African documentaries, shorts and features. The touring film festival will run alongside Afrovibes, a biennial festival of contemporary theatre, dance and music from South Africa. The festival began in the Netherlands in 1999 and in 2010 it came to the UK for the first time. In Oct 2012 the festival spent a month in the UK and the Netherlands. Central to the festival is a specially created township cafĂŠ, a space that serves African food and drinks, hosts events and acts as a hub for festival activity. In Oct 2014 Afrovibes will return to the UK with its most ambitious programme yet. For more information see www.afrovibesUK.com. Join us for a reception co-hosted by AiM and SAFTEC on Sat 26 Oct at 11pm in Filmhouse cafĂŠ bar (see page 50), enjoy a free glass of wine and learn more about the proposed touring film festival.
Announcement: Sports Stories from around the African Commonwealth In 2014 AiM is hosting a tour entitled Sports Stories from around the African Commonwealth. This will be part of the Glasgow 2014 Cultural Programme, which is a partnership between the Organising Committee of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, Creative Scotland and Glasgow Life. Sports Stories from around the African Commonwealth will explore African sports and culture through film. It will take viewers on a journey through the African Commonwealth highlighting triumphs and key challenges through sports. The programme will include over 15 films from across the African Commonwealth, panel discussions with enlightening speakers and educational workshops. Screenings and events will take place in cinemas, schools, universities and other venues in locations right across Scotland. African films are rarely shown in Scotland, therefore through this tour we will bring a wide variety of African cinema to audiences during the run up to the Glasgow hosted Commonwealth Games.
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Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 228 2688
www.filmhousecinema.com
Events Africa Vision Exchange: A network of African film festivals AiM is a founding member of a network of African Film Festivals in Europe called Africa Vision Exchange (AVE). The main aims of this network are to explore the artistic, educational and creative potential of African and African diaspora films and work to support each other. In addition to AiM, the other founding members of the network are Africa in the Picture (Amsterdam, Netherlands), Afrika Film Festival (Leuven, Belgium), and FCAT (Cordoba, Spain). We are pleased to welcome representatives of these festivals to AiM this year. We received funding from the Grundtvig Foundation to travel to each other’s festivals, to meet, and to further the aims of the network. We are working together in order to share knowledge and information, and to lobby policymakers such as the European Union, encouraging them to see the importance of African film for exploring Europe’s cultural diversity.
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Edinburgh Filmhouse: 0131 2688 Glasgow Film Theatre: 0141 332228 6535
www.filmhousecinema.com www.glasgowfilm.org
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AiM 2013 is supported by Principal funder
Corporate sponsor
Main venue partner
Venue partners
Funders
Short Film Competition sponsors
Supporters
Media partners
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Edinburgh box office: 0131 228 2688
www.filmhousecinema.com
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Glasgow box office: 0131 0141 228 332 2688 6535 Edinburgh
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Grigris
www.glasgowfilm.org www.filmhousecinema.com
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ABOUT AFRINOLLY Afrinolly is a mobile phone app that enables African Movies and Entertainment enthusiasts to watch movie trailers, music videos, comedy and full-length movies that have been made public by content owners or their legal representative via YouTube. Afrinolly is available for FREE on Android, iOS, BlackBerry, Nokia and Java-enabled phones (www.afrinolly.com). With over 3m downloads, Afrinolly is currently the highest downloaded African app. Afrinolly won Google’s Android Developers Challenge for Sub-Saharan Africa in September 2011: https://developers.google.com/android/adcafrica/gallery_winners?csw=1 With 3 million plus downloads across various operating systems namely Android, iOS, BlackBerry, Nokia, Windows and Java-enabled phones Afrinolly is currently the most downloaded African entertainment app designed and developed in Africa. Google Africa selected Afrinolly as one its 2012 success story in Africa. Google Africa officially released on its Africa Connected campaign website, a 2 minutes video documentary on Afrinolly: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdNQ7k0482s&feature=youtu.be
ABOUT AFRINOLLY SHORT FILM COMPETITION The AFRINOLLY SHORT-FILM COMPETITION is a Unique, Innovative and Youth-focused Competition, with singular concentration on the next generation of African film makers. This Competition is designed to expand the conversations on issues about the African continent by Africans, motivate and reward young and emerging filmmakers who exhibit exceptional narrative skills using short movies and documentary as a medium. This competition is conceived entirely as an online challenge open to Africans from across the world creating or have created short films or/and documentary films of not more than 15 minutes. Participants are expected to upload their films to a dedicated Competition Website and the finalists would be decided by a panel of jury and public voting. Our core objective is to empower African youths to tell their own stories from their own perspective and eliminate financial barriers to movies production. We look forward to ultimately creating a new generation of content providers in the Africa movie industry and facilitating business model based on sub-15 minutes contents. The AFRINOLLY SHORTFILM COMPETITION is in partnership with respected brands and organizations like MTN Nigeria, iRepresent International Documentary Film Festival and Goethe Institut.
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Edinburgh box office: 0131 228 2688
www.filmhousecinema.com
Events
AFRICA PICTURE HOUSE
Welcome to the home of award-winning films, exclusive to The Africa Channel. This month we bring you the compelling story of the Ethiopian Olympic champion Abebe Bikila in The Athlete. Enjoy Mahamat-Saleh Haroun’s witty comedy, Sex, Okra and Salted Butter and stay tuned for highly-anticipated Kenyan dramas Soul Boy and Nairobi Half Life.
Picture House > Africa Every Wednesday at 9pm
63Picture: Nairobi Edinburgh Half Life Filmhouse: 0131 228 2688
Sky 209 Virgin Media 828 theafricachannel.co.uk www.filmhousecinema.com
Venue Addresses African & Caribbean Centre: 66 Osborne Street Glasgow G1 5QH T: 07758 253823
Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA): 350 Sauchiehall Street Glasgow G2 3JD T: 0141 352 4900
AiM Movie Bus: The Three Sisters Bar 139 Cowgate Edinburgh EH1 1JS T: 0131 622 6801
Edinburgh College of Art: University of Edinburgh 74 Lauriston Place Edinburgh EH3 9DF T: 0131 651 5800
Banshee Labyrinth: Niddry Street Edinburgh EH1 1LG T: 0131 558 8209
Edinburgh College of Art: Evolution House 78 West Port Edinburgh EH1 2LE T: 0131 651 5800
Bongo Club: 66 Cowgate Edinburgh EH1 1JX T: 0131 558 8844 Brass Monkey: 14 Drummond Street Edinburgh EH8 9TU T: 0131 556 1961 Cabaret Voltaire: 36 Blair Street Edinburgh EH1 1QR Calabash Restaurant: 57 Union Street Glasgow G1 3RB T: 0141 221 2711 Cargo Bar: 129 Fountainbridge Edinburgh EH3 9QG T: 0131 659 7880
Repositioned Repositioned: 125 Argyle Street Glasgow G3 8ND T: 0141 222 2884 Filmhouse: 88 Lothian Road Edinburgh EH3 9BZ T: 0131 228 2688 Glasgow Film Theatre: 12 Rose Street Glasgow G36RB T: 0141 332 6535 Govanhill Baths: 99 Calder Street Glasgow G42 7RA T: 0141 433 2999
Edinburgh Zoo: 134 Corstorphine Road Edinburgh EH12 6TS T: 0131 314 0324 Riverford Green Space: Corner of Shawbridge Street and Riverford Road (Large access through car park at 35 Riverford Road) Pollokshaws Glasgow South Block: 60-64 Osborne Street Glasgow G1 5QH T: 0141 271 4700 Summerhall: 1 Summerhall Edinburgh EH9 1PL T: 0845 874 3000 St John’s Church: Princes Street Edinburgh EH2 4BJ T: 0131 229 7565 Stills Gallery: 23 Cockburn Street Edinburgh EH1 1BP T: 0131 622 6200