2017 Silicon Valley African Film Festival by Gabriel Nwoffiah II

SVAFF 2017 TEAM BOX OFFICE: Deffria Bass-Nwoffiah | Carol Stafford

FILM PROJECTION:

From Our Festival Director CHIKE NWOFFIAH

Rhon Richardson | Tanu Priya | Chinedu Nwoffiah

FLOOR MANAGEMENT: Carol Yates | Federico Olivieri

VENDOR COORDINATION: Shaka Camara | Amatula Jacobs

VOLUNTEER COORDINATION: Gladys Foyoh | Pamela Jones | Ruth Adu-Daako

ADMINISTRATION: Chasity Shelby

TECHNOLOGY: Gabriel Nwoffiah II

OUTREACH: Isayas Suim | Dela Acolatse

PR / COMMUNITY LIAISON: Adolpha Cole

SOCIAL MEDIA: Daria Imbukwa

PHOTOGRAPHY: Tumani Onabiyi | Art Roose | Mike Abbott

VIDEOGRAPHY: Nils Myers | Mattie Scariot

WELFARE: Jumoke Akinsola, Jum’s Kitchen

HOSPITALITY TEAM: Ouedraogo W. M. Sandrine | Teresa Baker Miriam Oluwaseyi Ala | Joe Sciarrillo Stacy Cusulos | Barbara Waugh | Anthony O’con

ADVISORY BOARD: Ozoekwe A. O. Braddy (Chair) Stephen Ozigbo (USA) Diem Jones (USA) Dr. Barbara Waugh (USA) Dr. Esailama Artry-Diouf (USA) Prof. Jude Akudinobi (USA) Diane Lima (Brazil) Prof. Aboubakar Sanogo (Canada) Prof. Chika Anyanwu (Australia) Dr. Mohamed Gazala (Egypt) Dela Acolatse (Ghana) Chris Ekejimbe (Nigeria) Gabriel Okanime (South Africa) Alvin Kasule (Uganda)

PROTOCOL AND GOVERNMENT RELATIONS: Deanna Tryon, Silicon Valley Office of Protocol

PROGRAM BOOKLET DESIGN: Rhesus Media Group www.rhesusmedia.com

Africa through the African lens! Celebrating 8 years of connecting communities, cultures and continents! I welcome you to our 8th Annual Silicon Valley African Film Festival (SVAFF) and invite you to this shared journey across the vast richness of the African Continent through the lenses of Africa’s seasoned and emerging filmmakers. Voted Best of Silicon Valley (Metro, March 2015), our festival is the only film festival in California that is exclusively focused on films made by African filmmakers and, crucially, provides audiences with exquisite lenses to the real Africa. Our mission is to promote an understanding and appreciation of Africa and Africans through moving images. We have built a substantial following and become an annual destination film event that draws out of state and international guests to Silicon Valley. This year, we present over 90 electrifying films from 30 African countries plus the USA. I am excited about the quality of films, the range of genres and the diversity of voices represented in the films we have selected. The festival weekend, from our colorful opening ceremony parade of flags, to the red carpet reception, live entertainment, post-screening dialogue with filmmakers, panel discussions, African market, food, etc., has been designed as a showcase and connectivity platform for creators, innovators and audiences. Join us as we honor five Bay Area residents with our inaugural “Africa Cultural Icon Award”. These honorees have been instrumental in showcasing and uplifting the image of Africa through creative expressions and so it is befitting that we honor and thank them for their inspiring work. Congratulations to our esteemed Africa Cultural Icon Award winners: Dr. Zak Diouf, Naomi Gedo Diouf, Hana Baba, CK Ladzekpo and Emmanuel Nado. A centerpiece feature of this year’s festival is the Diaspora Spotlight, a program that honors and celebrates Africa’s ancestral footprint in a country or region of the African diaspora through film screenings, exhibitions, performances and panel discussions. Our Diaspora Spotlight program features USA and will be on Saturday, September 30 at 2:00PM. Our journey from the first year to the eighth has been long but steady. You have rallied and become the wind beneath our wings. I will like to thank our partners, sponsors, donors, staff, advisors, volunteers and festival attendees without whom this festival will not be possible. Special thanks to our filmmakers for sharing their talent and enriching us with their stories. It is an honor to offer our community this unfiltered access to the richness, diversity and vitality of Africa’s creative expressions and provide a forum for cultural exchange. God bless!

2017 SVAFF

The management and staff of Rhesus Media Group sends a hearty congratulations to the Silicon Valley African Film Festival team as you celebrate 8 years of enriching our community and continent with this amazing festiestival. We wish you a happy, fun and successful festival!

A one-stop media solutions company. From concept to final print. www.rhesusmedia.com

2017 SVAFF

SVAFF 2017 COUNTRIES IN THE FESTIVAL Algeria Angola Burkina Faso Cameroon Cape Verde Congo DRC Cote dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Ivoire Egypt Eritrea Ethiopia Gabon Ghana Kenya Lesotho Madagascar Malawi

2017 SVAFF

Mauritius Morocco Mozambique Namibia Niger Nigeria Rwanda Senegal South Africa South Sudan Tanzania Togo Tunisia Uganda Zimbabwe

DIASPORA SPOTLIGHT: USA

Opening Night Film POTATO POTAHTO Narrative feature 70 minutes / 2017 Director: Shirley Frimpong-Manso Country: Ghana A divorced couple who decide to share equal space in their ex-marimonial home soon realize that the ingenious idea is easier said than done. Bent on flexing their egos and scoring points, the two implore various hilarious tactics that soon inflames emotions and turns an already complicated situation into a roller coaster ride.

FRIDAY SEPT. 29 | 8:30PM | MAIN THEATER

Sponsored by: National Coalition of 100 Black Women - Silicon Valley Chapter

With a background in directing, writing, presenting, producing, and event organization, Shirley Nana Akua Frimpong – Manso brings to African Cinema a rich and varied experience. A graduate of the National Film and Television Institute, Shirley formed Sparrow Productions in November 2003 and has written, produced and directed several widely acclaimed Ghanaian movies including award winning films like ‘THE PERFECT PICTURE’ ‘A STING IN A TALE’, ‘CONTRACT’ and the first ever cinema series on the continent ‘ADAMS APPLES’. Shirley’s aim is to tell progressive African stories and push boundaries using a touch of realism.

SHIRLEY FRIMPONG-MANSO

2017 SVAFF

OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

Diaspora Spotlight : USA are parallel. They constantly face a barrage of social messages that erode their self-worth and self-esteem. Yet through the pain that they’ve endured, these women go through a metamorphosis. They take their power back, fully embracing in their dark complexion and stopping the cycle of self-hatred.

BEAUTY DEEP

NEW NEIGHBORS

An African American girl, Jasmine, feels insecured about her skin color and is willing to go to any length to be called beautiful.

How far will a Mother go to protect her children? A 2017 Sundance Official Selection, New Neighbors is a story about a mother and her two sons who move to a new neighborhood, and because of all the killings and assaults on Black lives she is determined to keep her family safe. She takes to the neighborhood with kids in tow. A clever, resourceful, and unique approach to the BLM dialogue.

Narrative short 21:30 minutes / 2017 Director: Roseline Gnapi Country: USA

Narrative short 9:30 minutes / 2017 Director: E.G. Bailey Country: USA

DANCE WITH YOUR HEART (TENGO TALENTO CUBA)

BLACK AMERICA Documentary short 4 minutes / 2017 Director: Jacarrea Garraway Country: USA

An exploration of how art produced by the African-American community over the years has played an important role in the fight against systematic oppression.

Documentary short 10 minutes / 2017 Director: Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi Country: USA / Cuba Jennyselt is a dancer of Afro Cuban Folklore, with great prestige within Cuba and internationally and currently dances with the group Yoruba Andabo. She seeks her successor to keep the legacy of Afro-Cuban culture, dance and religion alive. Jennyselt takes us to the side of Havana that is rarely seen by tourist, Juanelo. Where there is a community project cultivating dreams and teaching the next generation of dancers. Who will she choose to keep the legacy alive?

Narrative short 8 minutes / 2016 Director: Xavier Burgin Country: USA

FAREWELL MEU AMOR CHARCOAL

2017 SVAFF

ON TIME

Narrative short 10 minutes / 2016 Director: Ekwa Msangi Country: USA / Tanzania

On the morning of the long-awaited reunion with his exiled family, a man is faced with the heartbreak of a different type of parting - from his lover.

Renee Johnson, a mother living in South Central LA, must make a difficult decision when she’s late for her job interview. On Time is a proof of concept piece from the larger feature script, Rough Around The Edges, which made it past the 1st round of The Sundance Screenwriter’s Lab. The script follows Renee Johnson’s larger arc through the loss of her child, juvenile dependency court, and gaining back her daughter.

PROCLAMATION PUNCTUATION

Experimental 5 minutes / 2017 Director: Sewra G Kidane Country: USA “Proclamation Punctuation” is an enthralling fashion film centered on a fabulously fascinating woman reciting a short soliloquy paying homage to her love for using exclamation points in her missives. Periods are so period, where as an exclamation point livens up a sentence! There is simply nothing worse than a long dragged out sentence ending in an uninspiring dull dot! So when exclamation points are your philosophy on life, one must always keep it on the up beat!!

RIGHT SONG, WRONG C(H)ORD

Narrative feature 40 minutes / 2016 Director: Adong Lucy Judith Country: USA / Uganda An always in control Ugandan woman on the verge of returning home meets a Caucasian American man who reminds her of what it’s like to feel and be seen. But what does it mean to be seen by this man when all along Vivian Nimaro has felt invisible?

Thank you Rich Alvari and your Bay 101 team for your multi-year support

2017 SVAFF

African Cultural Icon Awards Join us as we honor our inaugural Africa Cultural Icon Award winners. These cultural ambassadors have been instrumental in showcasing and uplifting the image of Africa through creative expressions. It is befitting that we honor and thank them for their inspiring work and pioneering role in sharing Africa with a wider audience. Congratulations!

HANA BABA Hana Baba is a Sudanese American radio journalist- host of “Crosscurrents”- the award-winning daily newsmagazine on NPR station KALW Public Radio in San Francisco. She reports on immigrants and communities of color - particularly Black and Muslim communities - on health, education, culture, religion, and arts. Her work also appears on NPR, PRI and BBC. Hana is co-host of the new podcast The Stoop, which explores African immigrant and African American issues and relationships. She enjoys exploring her Sudanese culture, biculturalism, intersectionality and the richness of experiences in the African diaspora overall. A believer in newsroom diversity, Hana regularly speaks and consults with communities on how to enter media fields to affect change in current media narratives about African, Arab and Muslim communities. A lover of storytelling and folk tales, she is also recording an audiobook of tales from Sudan, told in English.

CK LADZEKPO CK Ladzekpo is the director of the African music program at the University of California at Berkeley. He has combined a brilliant career as a performer, choreographer and composer with teaching and extensive scholarly research into African performing arts. He is a member of a famous family of African musicians and dancers who traditionally serve as lead drummers and composers among the Anlo-Ewe people of southeastern Ghana in West Africa. C.K. Ladzekpo has been a lead drummer and instructor with the Ghana National Dance Ensemble, the University of Ghana’s Institute of African Studies, and the Arts Council of Ghana. He joined the music faculty of the University of California at Berkeley in 1973 and remains an influential catalyst of the African perspective in the performing arts. In 1973 he founded the critically acclaimed African Music and Dance Ensemble. As the company’s artistic director, choreographer, and master drummer, he has led in many pioneering African dance and polyrhythmic percussion ensemble music presentations at major venues in the United States, Canada, and Europe. He has been artistic director of the Mandeleo Institute in Oakland since 1986. C.K. Ladzekpo’s modern concert stage rendition of Atsiagbeko, a traditional war dance drumming suite of the Anlo-Ewe is one of the features in the television documentary “African Dance at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival” which continues to be a popular broadcast since its national premiere in 1988 on PBS. CK has received a number of awards for his work including: National Endowment for the Arts Choreographer’s Fellowship (1988-1989); Irvine Choreographer’s Fellowship (1999); Ruth Beckford Extraordinary People in Dance Award (1999) and the Izzies Sustained Achievement award in 2013. CK has been a member of the faculty council of the East Bay Center for Performing Arts (Richmond CA) since 1974. CK Ladzekpo became a co-artistic director of the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival in 2007.

NAOMI GEDO DIOUF Naomi Gedo Diouf is the Artistic Director of Diamano Coura West African Dance Company. She has assisted and choreographed works for numerous performing companies including the Dutch Theater Van Osten in the Netherlands and Belgium, and U.C. Berkeley’s Drama Department. In 1998 and 1999, Mrs. Diouf collaborated with the San Francisco Ballet in the premiere of “Lambarena,” an African and classical ballet fusion piece for the Ballet for Utah, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Ballet of Florida, the Singapore and South African Ballet. A strong advocate of Arts-in-Education, Mrs. Diouf has worked with the Arts in Education programs in the San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Oakland, Richmond, and Alameda School Districts to promote cultural literacy. She was named one of America’s top teachers in the Who’s Who Among American Teachers and has received numerous awards and recognition. On July 8, 2017 she received the Malonga Casquelourd Lifetime Achievement Award from the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival.

2017 SVAFF

DR. ZAKARIYA DIOUF Dr. Zakariya Diouf is the Founder and Director of Diamano Coura West African Dance Company. He received his Ph.D. in Ethnomusicology from U.C. Berkeley and was director of the Mali Ensemble, a multinational company representing the unity of the West African countries of Mali, Senegal, and Guinea. He became director of “Les Ballet Africaines” in 1963 and later Le Ballet National du Sénégal from 1964-1968. In 1969, he joined the faculty of Southern Illinois University, working with Ms. Katherine Dunham. Dr. Diouf has taught at San Jose University, Sonoma State University, the University of San Diego, the University of California of Los Angeles and San Francisco, and California State University-East Bay. Dr. Diouf currently teaches West African music, dance, and history at Laney Community College in Oakland. He has done extensive research into African music and dance along with choreographing some of the best dance and dramatic pieces for renowned companies including the San Francisco Ballet. On June 22, 2013 he received the Malonga Casquelourd Lifetime Achievement Award from the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival.

EMMANUEL NADO Originally returned to Cote divoire where he worked for the country then major daily newspaper Fraternite Matin for 10 years. Nado came to the U.S. in the early 80s and attended Antioch University Yellow Springs where he studied in the business and communication program before settling in California upon graduating. From the mid 80s until the early 2000 he produced and hosted Echoes Of Africa on KKUP radio here in the South Bay, a radio program combined with weekly news events from the continent. Nado has appeared as guest on various radio shows in the U.S.including Voice of America. He is a savvy interviewer with a roster of guests too long to list here including Sembene Ousmane the father of African cinema. He is a strong believer in international education and firmly believes in the power of language to change the world and help people find common ground. From 2001 to 2014 he worked with the Sunnyvale School District as social studies instructor. He is currently producer and host of Africamix on NPR San Francisco affiliated KALW radio. As a radio journalist and producer, Nado is an active force in the African artistic scene in the U.S. He has written stories on African music, culture and the artists, as well contributed articles on the music and culture of African people in various magazines. He has travelled in the Caribbean nations including Cuba, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Bahamas, Mexico and Indonesia to document the movement of the African people in the diaspora. Having lived on three continents Nado understands different perspectives and cultures and is able to analyze and articulate these differences and find ways to bridge those differences through the arts and music.

“Wow! You took me all the way back to Africa! Thank you for the gift of this festival. It was such an emotional experience for me as an African immigrant in the United States. My heart is so filled with joy. I want to volunteer next year!” — 2016 Attendee

2017 SVAFF

OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

Documentary Short

HEALING HANDS Documentary short 11 minutes / 2017 Director: May Yam Country: Namibia / USA

AFIA ATTACK: TRADING BEHIND ENEMY LINE

This Documentary chronicles an annual medical mission to Namibia where an international group of medical doctors provides orthopedic services to underprivileged families. Follow along as the film covers the story of 1 woman and 2 baby girls through the medical procedures correcting lower body deformities.

Documentary short 38 minutes / 2017 Director: Ujuaku Akukwe Country: Nigeria Afia Attack (trading behind enemy lines). This indigenous trade was a catalyst for survival during the Nigeria-Biafra Civil War. A story of lost hopes, pains, betrayals, sufferings, resilience and bravery. The battle for survival that is usually borne silently by women in wartime.

KADI

PRAN NESANS

Documentary short 8 minutes / 2017 Director: Lawrence Agbetsise Country: Ghana KADI is a story about Electricity and Education. A young girls Adzo, full of ambition and zeal to succeed in life. Her mother is a hindrance to her plans, because she does not believe in her. she therefore, invests all her hopes into a friend, she cares a lot about called KADI.

SVAFF 2017 is funded in part by a Cultural Affairs grant from the City of San Jose 12

2017 SVAFF

Documentary short 14 minutes / 2017 Director: Daniella Bastien Country: Mauritius

Foray into the « Marke » world, a practice, a ritual, a tradition which its transition becomes necessary at risk of witnessing the lost of a whole section of the Mauritian culture.

JACKENSON

Documentary short 25 minutes / 2016 Directors: Linda Leila Diatta and Jean Marc Poteau Country: Niger / Haiti Jackenson is a 13-year-old boxing hopeful from Haiti’s notorious Cité Soleil slum who is determined to box his way to the top. As he prepares for his upcoming fight against a rival club, he must surpass all expectations from his coaches, club and community.

YOU CAN’T HIDE FROM THE TRUTH Documentary short 29 minutes / 2016 Director: A.a.V Amasi Country: Zimbabwe Twenty years ago blind musician Daniel Gonora was the leader of Zimbabwe’s largest touring group, the Jairos Jiri band. Daniel is one of three surviving band members out of thirty-two, the rest died of Aids. To feed his poverty-stricken family, Daniel now plays music on the streets of Zimbabwe with his young gifted son Isaac on Drums. You Can’t Hide From The Truth is a musical documentary about Isaac and his father Daniel struggling to make ends meet in Zimbabwe’s harsh political and economic environment. Their relationship is put to the test when Daniel pursues past dreams that could affect Isaac’s future reality.

LOUDER THAN A DOGS WHISTLE

Documentary short 12 minutes / 2016 Director: Bianca Morgan Country: South Africa Louder than a Dog whistle is a poetically expository documentary that aims to challenge the ideology of the so-called ‘Rainbow Nation’ and the eradication of the social constructs within Apartheid, as well as how it fits into today’s society. It explores social issues that still affect the youth today-22 years after democracy- in their personal relationships, academic careers, social and professional environments

BLACK AMERICA

SPOTLIGHT FILM

Documentary short 4 minutes / 2017 Director: Jacarrea Garraway Country: USA

An exploration of how art produced by the African-American community over the years has played an important role in the fight against systematic oppression.

DANCE WITH YOUR HEART (TENGO TALENTO CUBA)

Documentary short SPOTLIGHT FILM 10 minutes / 2017 Director: Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi Country: USA / Cuba Jennyselt is a dancer of Afro Cuban Folklore, with great prestige within Cuba and internationally and currently dances with the group Yoruba Andabo. She seeks her successor to keep the legacy of Afro-Cuban culture, dance and religion alive. Jennyselt takes us to the side of Havana that is rarely seen by tourist, Juanelo. Where there is a community project cultivating dreams and teaching the next generation of dancers. Who will she choose to keep the legacy alive?

ADAMA FROM TENGRELA Docuemntary short 25 minutes / 2017 Director: Victorien Vialar Country: Burkina Faso

UNE SOCIETE, PLUS DES CULTURES - A SOCIETY, MORE CULTURES

Adama invites us in his daily routine in the village of Tengrela, in between rice harvest, fishing on the lake and his kids’ education. His voice leads us to the closest of his thoughts and hopes

Documentary short 3 minutes / 2017 Director: Christian Btwaiki Country: Congo DRC

A SOCIETY, MORE CULTURES explores and shows the realities of cultural diversity in the Gomatracian society, especially the DRC, and reflecting in general the power and values of the existence of several colors in world society

REPRESENT (SOJU) Documentary short 30 minutes / 2016 Director: Oluwaseun Babalola Country: Nigeria

FINDING ME Documentary short 30 minutes / 2017 Director: Nada Ibrahim Country: Egypt

A short documentary featuring three life changing experience of three girls from Egypt. Struggling with their conservative parochial context; this part of the world where you are told how a life should be lived, they have decided to do it on their own and start a journey to find out about life...a journey to find about oneself to discover a more extrovert world full of challenges and unleashing their capabilities and dreams.

SOJU explores identity and entrepreneurship in Africa’s diverse youth culture. Surfers, metal heads, and filmmakers tell us what it’s like to live in Sierra Leone, Botswana and Nigeria.

2017 SVAFF

OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

Documentary Feature

SOUNDS OF THE WORLD: MAURITIUS

Documentary feature length 58 minutes / 2016 Director: Sîla Country: Mauritius Small island known as a tourist paradise, Mauritius is full of artists among the most talented of the Indian Ocean. Filmmaker Sîla, who has travelled around the globe as a musician, went to meet this evolving independent country, where music had a considerable role on «Mauricianism», this fight to unite a people, historically divided in several communities. An epic journey of the senses, full of emotions, which takes us to the heart of a country in a rare and profound way. With rich visuals, great acoustic performances and moving stories, this documentary inspire, educate & entertain... between anecdotes and revelations, three generations of artists and most popular influential actors invite us to rediscover Mauritius.

SHAKESPEARE IN CASABLANCA

Documentary feature length 60 minutes / 2016 Director: Sonia Terrab Country: Morocco It’s summer in Casablanca, Morocco. A young theater group translates Shakespeare’s “ A Midsummer Night’s Dream” in darija, the Moroccan dialect, and takes the floor of the streets to stage it and ask people around about it, and about love, and language: how do Moroccans say I love you? A lively portrait of Casablanca the unloved, carried by an inspired Arab youth, full of hope and desire for art, happiness and freedom….

THE TWO FACES OF A BAMILÉKÉ WOMAN

Documentary feature length 76 minutes / 2016 Director: Rosine Mbakam Country: Cameroon This movie is about a young Cameroonian woman who goes back home after leaving a while in Europe. The story is about her reunion with her mother. Their reunion are build around places where the young girl lives when she was young. Two different routes that intersect around the traditions underpinning their two personalities. At the research of hiding feelings, she find stories that seems to be her story. She wants to give life to voices hidden in the silence, she want to put light on faces of women of her community, those women who have build the woman that she became, she want to spout colour on their faces.

THE AFRICAN WHO WANTED TO FLY MAPUTO

Documentary feature length 74 minutes / 2015 Directors: João Graça and Fábio Ribeiro Country: Mozambique This film is about the city of Maputo, a young African capital city emerging at the frenetic rhythm of the global financial demand. Some say it’s not meant for everyone. “Each man for himself”

2017 SVAFF

Documentary feature length 70 minutes / 2016 Director: Samantha Biffot Country: Gabon 1979. Gabon, Central Africa. Luc, a 9 year old boy sees for the first time a Kung Fu movie and it’s a revelation: Chinese can fly. It becomes Luc’s obsession to fly like them. Luc has now been living for 31 years in China, mastering wushu, acting in Kung fu movies. How did this little boy managed to become the first African to enter the Shaolin temple at the age of 14 in 1985, mastering traditional secret techniques following his dream?

THE MAD MAN’S TRUTH Documentary feature length 82 minutes / 2017 Director: Bamba Diop Country: Senegal

In Senegal where oral tradition can constitute an integral element of a development project, the wandering poet Thierno Seydou Sall introduces a new system of social communication with the goal of effecting positive change in the comportment and attitudes of the populations. Two musicians encouraged by the power of his pertinent and provocative poetry, help him.

8th Annual Silicon Valley African Film Festival (SVAFF) Friday, September 29 – Sunday, October 1, 2017

A MEMORY IN THREE ACTS Documentary feature length 64 minutes / 2016 Director: Inadelso Cossa Country: Mozambique

Former political prisoners decide to go back to the places where they used to be interrogated and tortured, to meet their ghosts, rebuild their memories of torture and find a possible reconciliation with the past as a treatment for their trauma

Historic Hoover Theatre 1635 Park Avenue San Jose, CA 95126

EVENT SCHEDULE COURTYARD / THEATER:

5:30PM:

RED CARPET WALK & RECEPTION. 6:30PM:

PARADE OF FLAGS & LIBATION CEREMONY. 7:00PM:

WELCOME BY THE MAYOR & LIVE PERFORMANCES. 8:00PM:

PRESENTATION OF AFRICAN CULTURAL ICON AWARDS

8:30PM:

OPENING NIGHT FILMS: Proclamation Punctuation 5 minutes USA Waves/Water 6 minutes Ghana Potato Potahto 87 minutes Ghana Thanks to the Black Googler Network for your partnership

POST SCREENING DIALOGUE WITH FILMMAKERS.

2017 SVAFF

OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

Narrative Feature

N.G.O. “NOTHING GOING ON”

Narrative Feature 83 minutes / 2016 Director: Arnold AGANZE Country: Uganda This film is presents a funny take on present day NGOs and how easily we can all get swept up in the quest to “save” African women and girls. Two friends jokingly setup a fake NGO and soon realize that getting out of it is harder than getting it started.

AYANDA

MAALLE

Narrative feature 80 minutes / 2017 Directors: Alasambom Nyingchuo & Ashu Egbe Country: Cameroon What will you do if you’re told by your doctor that you don’t have long to live? That is the situation Maalle, who is wanted for elephant poaching, finds himself. He decides to undo some of his wrongs before he dies. He escapes from his hospital bed to go and uncover the elephant tusks that he has hidden in the forest with the intention of returning to the government authorities through a greedy and corrupt politician. The Police is tipped on Maalle’s where about by a passer-by who hopes to claim the ransom. So the chase starts, in this fastpaced action movie, where the hunter becomes the hunted. Maalle’s son, Moto outsmarts him and takes the tusks before Maalle could get there. Jennifer, the girlfriend of Moto and the link with network of elephant tusks traffickers, is caught between love and betrayal.

Narrative feature 112 minutes / 2015 Director: Sara Blecher Country: South Africa Sponsored by: National Coalition of 100 Black Women - Silicon Valley Chapter In a vibrant and diverse Johannesburg community, 21-year-old Afro-hipster Ayanda has a knack for taking neglected pieces of furniture and “bringing them back to love”. Eight years after her father’s death, she is determined to revive his prized garage business, which is in deep debt and in danger of being sold. The film crackles with infectious energy and style, capturing a vividly contemporary view of South Africa. Inspired by the possibilities of a modern African aesthetic AYANDA explores a core theme of how we let go of the things and people we love.

2017 SVAFF

LEGENDS OF MADAGASCAR

Narrative feature 93 minutes / 2012 Director: Haminiaina Ratovoarivony Country: Madagascar he film illustrates the journey of Jimi, and his close friends, Bob and Dylan, as they travel to the Madagascan countryside to see Jimi’s ill father. While taking on present-day concerns such as native Malagasy and Indian immigrants’ cultural tensions, military corruption, as well as the challenge to preserve indigenous traditions amidst the nation’s economic growth, the film also depicts realistic and warm characters that embody the spirit of the African island.

BURNING HOPE Narrative feature 85 minutes / 2016 Director: Lotfi Achour Country: Tunisia

T-JUNCTION Narrative feature 105 minutes / 2017 Director: Amil Shivji Country: Tanzania

After the passing of her estranged father, Fatima makes an unlikely friend at a hospital, Maria. Bound by pain, Fatima keeps coming back to hear Maria’s tale of the T-junction where she found love and loss in a ragtag community.

Burning Hope, is at once the story of an unlikely friendship and the portrait of a fragile country haunted by so many ghosts. Between investigation and intimate story, the movie tells the crossed destinies of two young women and a teenager in a post-revolution Tunisia, swinging between hopes and desillusions.

RIGHT SONG, WRONG C(H)ORD

SPOTLIGHT FILM

LIFE

LOST IN LONDON

Life is a starting point and an end point. The film tells the return trip of thirty Moroccan immigrants from the emigrate country to their home country in a bus. Spin many events among a group of characters forced to coexist within a single space and narrow and it’s IN A BUS despite the differences of their worlds and their cultural backgrounds from the extremist to the prostitute passing the revolutionary MARXIST and the musicians and others the experience becomes an interesting laboratory of events bringing us from northern Morocco to the south in an almost closed space with all the esthetic and the absurdity of a travel. It’s the life that we travel.

Lost in London is the hilarious tale of Okon and Bona, young students who get selected for an exchange program in London. They attempt to earn some pounds before returning to Nigeria and experience culture shock and all sorts of trouble. But Okon and Bona are made of sterner stuff and every step of the way prove that the Nigerian spirit cannot be broken.

Narrative feature 90 minutes / 2016 Director: Raouf sebbahi Country: Morocco

YENEGEN ALWOLDEM I WON’T BEAR TOMORROW

Narrative feature 117 minutes / 2016 Director: Abraham Gezahagne Country: Ethiopia Adugna(30) trains his players on roads littered with dumped bodies of “anti-revolutionaries” and anti-government leaflets as he tries to juggle family disapproval with his desire to build a great football team at a dangerous time. At a time when every young man not affiliated with government-approved structures risked torture and death, with a round-the-clock curfew in place to monitor illegal activities, it wasn’t long before the football team’s “rising stars” were under government surveillance. Eventually many of the young players of the football club are put in jail and tortured, while the coach’s wife urges him to quit his passion. But not before one last assignment where his players’ tormentors coerce him into a bizarre match between a governmentapproved team and his team of rising stars. If he doesn’t agree to the match he will be killed or imprisoned. The match ends with the coach’s team winning against the government favourites, annoying government officials. Defiant to the end, the “rising stars” chant anti-government slogans as they’re loaded en route to the prison, from which many would never leave, it is implied.

Narrative feature 88 minutes / 2016 Director: Sunkanmi Adebayo Country: Nigeria / UK

THE CUT

Narrative feature 62 minutes / 2017 Director: Peter Wangugi Gitau Country: Kenya

THE MISSING GOD Narrative feature 110 minutes / 2016 Director: Ubaka Joseph Ugochukwu Country: Nigeria

A film about a young boy who is trying to save his younger sister from early marriage and FGM. They manage to escape and end up in a very unforgiving slum.

Sold to slavery by his uncle Amadi after confronting him over the mysterious death of his father Dike. In fulfilment of his divine destiny, Obidike returns from the slave camp with the stolen sacred mask to become the village Chief Priest among Umuaka village kinsmen.

GOD’S BRIDGE

Narrative feature 9 minutes / 2016 Director: Girum Ermyas Gebereselassie Country: Ethiopia Through the joy and sadness of two lovers, we are invited on a difficult journey into a dark past in Ethiopia’s recent history. A time when freedom was a luxury and no one was beyond the treacherous grasp of the authorities.

2017 SVAFF

POTATO POTAHTO

THE ROAD TO SUNRISE

FORGIVENESS FOR WHOM?

A divorced couple who decide to share equal space in their ex-marimonial home soon realize that the ingenious idea is easier said than done. Bent on flexing their egos and scoring points, the two implore various hilarious tactics that soon inflames emotions and turns an already complicated situation into a roller coaster ride.

Exploited by men and ridiculed by the world, two prostitutes struggle to survive in the rough slums of Blantyre, Malawi. When one of them rejects the advances of a very rich client, he violently attacks her and in self-defense she stabs him to death. Her subsequent arrest and murder trial becomes a battle not just to escape the death sentence but also a journey towards her inner emancipation.

A captivating film about the clash of cultures and customs. A couple in an arranged marriage must face the reality of what true love is and isn’t when a love interest from the outside threatens the very foundation of their marriage.

Narrative feature 70 minutes / 2017 Director: Shirley Frimpong Manso Country: Ghana Sponsored by: National Coalition of 100 Black Women - Silicon Valley Chapter

Narrative Feature 132 minutes / 2017 Director: Shemu Joyah Country: Malawi

Narrative feature 110 minutes / 2017 Director: Ariam Weldeab Country: Eritrea

“Africa needs her own images, her own gaze testifying on her behalf, without the distorting prism of others, of the foreign gaze saddled by prejudice and schemes. We must bear witness to this cradle of humanity which has developed a rich and immense human, historical, cultural and spiritual patrimony.”

CHEICK OUMAR SISSOKO Malian filmmaker and Secretary General, Pan African Federation of Filmmakers (FEPACI).

2017 SVAFF

OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

Animation

WATER WAHALA

KURA

MAJANGA

Two girls meet at the village tap and big trouble ensues.

Democracy... illusion or reality? KURA, which is a Swahili word for VOTE, is an animated short film about some of the issues Kenyans have had to consider regarding their Electoral Process and the Democracy it is supposed to serve. It is the eve of a General Election and disturbing happenings have given the nation cause to question the system. Amidst very uncertain circumstances, the incumbent Head of State grapples with the burden of leadership, that ultimately requires him to make some tough decisions.

A short animated documentary explaining the dangers of population increase in Tanzania an east african country

Animation short 2 minutes / 2017 Director: Brian Olaolu Wilson Country: Nigeria

Animation short 15 minutes / 2017 Director: Gatumia Gatumia Country: Kenya

TEJUMADE

BOTH SAVED

Animation short 19 minutes / 2017 Director: Adebimpe Adebambo Country: Nigeria The beautiful and peaceful kingdom of Apata is threatened by the circumstances of the birth of princess Tejumade—a gift to the royal family through the magical powers of the great Iroko tree and its emissary; Baba Ogbon. She must journey to the dreaded forest to obtain the last gold leaf from the great Iroko tree otherwise, Apata will be destroyed forever. Ika, the evil water spirit stands between her and the safety of her kingdom.

Animation short 9 minutes / 2017 Director; Country: Tanzania

Animation short 3 minutes / 2017 Director: Afotey Nii Odai Country: Ghana

FLY

A short animation that talks about the relationship between Man and Tree. What if trees could hold and prevent Oxygen from reaching man; would Man survive?

Animation short 4 minutes / 2017 Director: Bertil Toby Svanekiaer Country: Ghana Oko, a boy who loves things that fly, builds a kite. While flying the kite, a strong wind blows, the kite gets stuck on a nearby tree. After failing to get the kite from the tree, he discovers an injured bird and helps the bird fly again.

CRUSH Thanks to the National Coalition of 100 Black Women - Silicon Valley Chapter for sponsoring our Opening Night Film

Animation short 8 minutes / 2017 Director: Stephen Shima Iosun Country: Nigeria A timid boy develops a crush on a girl he runs into at a bus stop. Will he summon the courage to talk to her, or will he let the opportunity pass him by?

2017 SVAFF

GROUF POTO Animation short 9 minutes / 2017 Director: Jibril Mailafia Country: Nigeria

Grouf Poto is a comedy that satirize the situation when its up to one person to break the imperfect chain of imperfection but the odds out weigh the will.

MVURA (WATER) Animation short 2 minutes / 2017 Director: Rodney Masanga Country: Zimbabwe

An animated short about the water woes of a teenage girl in the rural third world.

FIRST FINGERPRINT Animation short 15 minutes / 2016 Director: Mohamed Mowafi Country: Egypt

The film is a collective stop motion short film consists of ten different films that used the captured frames by disabled children, the frames captured of stuff that children dealing with it daily.

2017 SVAFF

OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

Narrative Short all they can to help the victims, when a young man suspected to be one of the terrorists is brought in. The town’s Chief of Police demands immediate jungle justice but GBENGA must keep everyone’s values in check especially his own.

AFRICA

APNEE

Experimental - music 5 minutes / 2017 Director: Nuno Barreto Country: Angola

Narrative short 26 minutes / Director: Insaf Arafa Country: Tunisia

África is a beautiful music video that invokes the spirit of Africa and inspires us to protect mother earth. A homage to our rich and vibrant cultural heritage.

DRY FISH

Narrative short 15 minutes / 2017 Director: Latheleene Bosé Country: USA / Nigeria A New York writer born of Nigerian parentage living in London deals with the complexities of a bi-cultural identity.

BEAUTY DEEP

Aymen and Aicha are deeply in love when all of a sudden, life brings the couple to an unfortunate and deadly test. Comforted by the strength of their love as well as by their love for nature, Aymen and Aicha, rely on their love’s sturdiness to defeat the the tragedy which threatens their future.

SPOTLIGHT FILM

Narrative short 21:30 minutes / 2017 Director: Roseline Gnapi Country: USA

An African American girl, Jasmine, feels insecured about her skin color and is willing to go to any length to be called beautiful.

SUKUT GERRETA

Narrative short 8 minutes / 2015 Directed by: Mantegaftot Sileshi Siyoum Country: Ethiopia A local thief in a bakery suddenly yells “THIEF!” at a young father, who just wants to buy one loaf of bread for his hungry children, an angry mob starts wildly chasing the young father away.

Narrative short 4:30 minutes / 2017 Director: Ganza Moise Country: Rwanda A girl nearing her coming of age, fights to literally regain her voice while silence is accepted as the common status in her surrounding.

NO GOOD TURN Narrative short 17 minutes / 2016 Director: Udoka Oyeka Country: Nigeria

Thank you NAACP for your many years of continued support.

A gruesome Boko Haram terrorist attack has destroyed the bank, the police station and the market of a small town in Northern Nigeria. In charge of the overcrowded ER of a rundown hospital, DR. GBENGA and his staff are doing

2017 SVAFF

TRAPPED

THE VIRGIN VEGAN

NEOPHOBIA

A short film about youth radicalization and terrorism . It tells the story of Salim: a young guy who finds himself in trouble when a terrorist sect kidnaps his sister and blackmails him to bomb a shopping mall in exchange for his sister’s life.

After spending 3 years in England completing her MBA studies, golden girl Thato has returned to her butchery owning, South African township home with a new diet. She’s a vegan! At her welcome home dinner party, all is revealed…but not all is understood.

The film tells the story of a young African woman obsessed with old routine and an unwillingness to try new things. When she unexpectedly finds an appreciation for a modern day object, she is forced to completely rethink –and overthink – her life.

REFRACTION

LO KOTE LAGAR

A beautiful girl with psychological problems, it is still in her room and doses of all kinds of drugs, these psychological problems because of the physical problem, the problem that society does not accept.

An empty bus station becomes the scene of an unexpected encounter between a photographe and unconventional characters.

Narrative short 12 minutes / 2017 Director: Dancurf Brown Country: Kenya

VIZA

Narrative short 13 minutes / 2017 Director: Roger Komla B. Gbekou Country: Togo After the death of her husband who was trying a clandestine immigration to the Sicily island, a young pregnant lady decided to use all possible means to get a French citizenship for her unborn child. Against all odds she decided to give birth in the French Embassy.

Narrative short 25 minutes / 2017 Director: Reabetswe Moeti Country: South Africa

Narrative short 5:30 minutes / 2016 Director: Boussaber Lahoucine Country: Morocco

Narrative short 17 minutes / 2017 Director: Mark Maina Country: Kenya

Narrative short 16 minutes / 2017 Director: O B’ryan Vinglassalon Country: Mauritius

FIREFLIES THE LOST CAUSE Narrative short 3 minutes / 2016 Director: Lebohang Motlomelo Country: Lesotho

After four years of independence and since his father was captured, Mosiuoa finds himself alone in the world filled with pride, wickedness and evil, when his brother Ramonne leaves for the Liberation Army camp to avenge his father’s legacy.

2017 SVAFF

BECAUSE I AM experimental short 6 minutes / 2016 Director: Lawrie Zidyana Country: Zimbabwe / UK

With the president leading the anti gay rhetoric, being a lesbian in Zimbabwe is very scary. This film is based on a poem written by a Zimbabwean LGBT in a brave response to President Robert Mugabe.

Narrative short 8 minutes / 2014 Director: Danielle Iregbu Country: Nigeria Fireflies poses the ultimate question “what if tomorrow never comes?”. In 8 short minutes, young and talented filmmaker Danielle Iregbu, uses poetry, movement, colors and a haunting soundtrack to transport us into the world of surrealism and the sublime, a world filled with joy and sadness, hope and anguish and ultimately life and death.

rails’ and this has ultimately led to the demise of the once prominent family owned tavern, The Thembalethu Bar. Sabelo needs to not only come to grips with trying to make the bar marvel once more, but also realises that in order for the bar to have any chance of success again, he needs to reconcile with his father.

SAWUBONA A DOG STORY Narrative short 18 minutes / 2015 Director: Mugume Davidson Country: Uganda

Atim a young woman in her efforts to escape her abducter Bongwat comes face to face with the reality of what it means to be an abductee and the consequence of unrequited his love. A Dog Story, the tale of war, survival and unrequited love.

Narrative short 10 minutes / 2015 Director: Lungelo Kuzwayo Country: South Africa When Mbali, a charming and adventurous 7 yearold South African, defies the norm by making a new friend; she sparks a journey of transformation.

Narrative short 15 minutes / 2016 Director: Haminiaina Ratovoarivony Country: Madagascar

TORMENT SOCIETY

Narrative short 7 minutes / 2016 Director: Chiemela M. Peter Country: Nigeria Spending so much time in the society can never build a home but rather create family conflict

ANTANANARIVO

Narrative short 20 minutes / 2017 Director: Nyirinkwaya Ngoma Country: Rwanda

While the Madagascar’s capital Antananarivo is in the turmoil of a political crisis, filmmaker Hamy Ratovo fights against the censorship of his film in the margins of the demonstrations. Mixing real facts and fiction, Antananarivo tiako ianao revisits the political events of 7 February 2009, which lead the presidential guard to open fire on protesters.

A lonely Writer is about to write his next book about prostutition life as he was raised by a prostitute mother before she died when he was young. The research become a struggle for him as he gets to understand the lives of these Women.

ZAWAJA GALI (MARRIAGE IS EXPENSIVE) L’ÉCHAPPÉE

Narrative short 20 minutes / 2016 Directors: Jonathan A. MAson and Hamid Saïdji Country: Algeria A kalaiedoscopic journey through the streets of Algiers in Hocine Filali’s ramshackle Taxi. With dreams of setting sail toward a better life in Italy, he’ll first have to break free from the grip of this magical city and its colorful cast of characters.

HOMECOMING Narrative short 24 minutes / 2016 Director: Barbara Karuana Country: South Africa

“TRAGEDY DESTROYS, LOVE HEALS.” Homecoming tells the story of Sabelo, who returns home having left 5 years earlier following the death of his mother and the subsequent demise of his relationship with his “now” alcoholic father. Upon his “Homecoming”, Sabelo finds that in his absence his father has ‘gone off the

Narrative short 15 minutes / 2017 Director: Cont de Monk Country: South Sudan Zawaja Gali (Marriage Is Expensive), is a short film about a young South Sudanese fella called (Jada) who wants to marry his girlfriend (Aluel). As he tries to achieve that goal, he encounters some challenges that make his mission seem rather impossible to accomplish. However, determined more than ever to succeed, Jada looks for a way around the challenges, so as to be with the woman he loves.

2017 SVAFF

WE ARE JUST FINE LIKE THIS

Narrative short 19 minutes / 2016 Director: Sofian El Fani Country: Tunisia Baba Azizi is an old man that was not spared by illness. Passed around from house to house of his different children, he finds himself at his daughter’s for a couple of days. An umpteenth ordeal in perspective... but things will not go as he imagined.

SICELA AMANZI (WATER, PLEASE) Narrative short 12 minutes / 2016 Director: Mlu Godola Country: South Africa When a small community’s only source of water unexpectedly collapses during a severe drought; Zoleka, a mild mannered and well meaning young woman, is forced to go to extreme lengths to ensure that her ailing sister lives another day...

OCCUPATION: KILLER

IN MY FATHER’S VILLAGE Narrative short 23 minutes / 2017 Director: Tapiwa Kapuya Country: Zimbabwe

Rhuveneko, 19, goes back to her family’s village to claim her inheritance when the village holds a meeting to distribute land. Her father, Chief Matsika, died during Zimbabwe’s brutal liberation war in the 1970s. Now Ruvheneko’s uncle is Chief. As his greedy and corrupt nature is exposed at the village meeting, Rhuveneko learns of her father’s true nature.

CHARCOAL

THE NEW MAD HATTER STORY

Narrative short 6 minutes / 2016 Director: Ghada Ali Country: Egypt What if the famous Mad Hatter from (Alice in Wonderlands) suddenly found himself in a house of a local area in Egypt, involved with a man called (Hossam Al Omda) who will use him badly under his authority in his house that will turn to be like a prison. The Mad Hatter will try to escape it and keep searching for Alice even though he doesn’t know what will happen to him next!. A Fable Film that was made from A to Z in 48 hours.

SPOTLIGHT FILM

Narrative short 5 minutes / 2016 Director: Francesca Andre Country: USA Charcoal” which at its core, is a story about redemption and overcoming pain. This film focuses on 2 black women, who have been victims of colorism. Although there are vast distances between each of them, their lives are parallel. They constantly face a barrage of social messages that erode their self-worth and self-esteem. Yet through the pain that they’ve endured, these women go through a metamorphosis. They take their power back, fully embracing in their dark complexion and stopping the cycle of self-hatred.

A BIRD WITHOUT A HOMELAND

Narrative short 7 minutes / 2017 Director: Country: Algeria The film talks about the War Child. This is the story of a 14 year old who lived through the beginning of the war in Syria. Where bombing destroyed his home and his whole family died. The child’s love for drawing helps him keep track of the memories of the house his pen and blue hat. Displaced in the streets, he doesn’t give up his dream of painting and his paintings on the ground drawings reflect the homeland. He later becomes a refugee in another country, grows up but remains haunted by childhood memories in his dreams and his illusions and everywhere ...

Narrative short 24 minutes / 2017 Director: Walid Ayoub Country: Morocco

In order to participate in a journalism contest, Sami, a dreamy young man, Starts writing of a report on Abbas, an atypical killer he has known since childhood…

2017 SVAFF

Thanks to Deanna Tryon and her team at the Silicon Valley Office of Protocol Your years of support and partnership is most appreciated

BABA - THE JOYS OF FATHERHOOD

Narrative short 10 minutes / 2017 Director: Ignatius Matope Country: Zimbabwe A heartbreaking short film from Zimbabwe. A well educated but underemployed family man struggles to deal with he socio-economic challenges but finds unconditional love and care from his family.

LODGERS

IF ONLY

THE OGHENEKHAROS, a professional Nigerian couple have abandoned accomplished lives in Nigeria and come to England. They are confident, HIGHLY SKILLED, even ARROGANT. Their hopes are high and their skills are intact. And why not, both boast lofty qualifications in their respective profession. However, as life in the UK slowly unravels, the true worth of their ‘top’ skills and huge Nigerian portfolio is far from what they had dreamed.

When three friends sitting to an evening round of drinks are disrupted, their attempt to catch the spoiler takes an unexpected turn. This docudrama short, set in a rural community in southern Nigeria, depicts a not-so-talked-about reality and draws attention to a practice that perpetuates a certain injustice to humanity.

Narrative short 23 minutes / 2016 Director: Keni Ogunlola Country: Nigeria / UK

LALIBELA

Narrative short 8 minutes / 2017 Director: Hlumela Matika Country: South Africa / USA A short hybrid fiction/documentary portraiture film on the refugee community of Syracuse. Upstate New York the film takes us into the lives of ordinary people in an english class reenactment, they are taught the English Language. Most refugees have all gone through this process of learning a new language. We then follow Soria (fictional character name), from Ethiopia as she tries to find work with the very little English she has learnt. Through the reenactment of an uncomfortable interview and we see her employed and working at the bar. We see what work means for her and her family. We then follow a younger refugee boy from the same English class, Yusuf, We see him at his home, going about his everyday life. Yusuf tells us the story of his journey to Syracuse.

Narrative Short 15 minutes / 2017 Director: OtoObong Ekpenyong Country: Nigeria

ENTROPY DIE KAAL KRAAL Narrative short 11 minutes / 2016 Director: Vusi’Africa Sindane Country: South Africa

Narrative short 5 minutes / 2017 Director: Abdallah Gad Country: Egypt Look at the screen well and then laugh .. The next game is coming to you

An adaptation of Athol Fugard and Winston Ntshona’s play Marygolds In August, Die Kraal Kraal tells the story of a woman who has to come to terms with the sudden death of her husband.

OCCUPATION: KILLER

THE DOWRY

Narrative short 16 minutes / 2017 Director: Mouhamed Lamine Wade Country: Senegal

Narrative short 24 minutes / 2017 Director: Walid Ayoub Country: Morocco

In order to participate in a journalism contest, Sami, a dreamy young man, Starts writing of a report on Abbas, an atypical killer he has known since childhood…

Diary is a Fulani and is in love with Hamed, who belongs to another ethnic group: he is a Griot. In Senegal, this is a problem ...

2017 SVAFF

of circumstance who chose to become a slave master rather than become a slave. Mamadugba seeks to acquire ancient treasures spread across several kingdoms but he must first conquer all the Royal families which are custodians of the split treasure map to obtain a complete useable puzzle map.

BEKA’S BIKE

APHASIE

Beka lives in rural Uganda. He loves his bike. And bubbles.

In the evening of independence, the President of the Republic loses his memory in an accident. Meanwhile Ivory Coast is the target of a terrorist attack. In a secret operation, the Karl Gaudence agent and the Agency for espionage embark in search and try at the same time to simultaneously thwart any imminent attacks against the country

Narrative short 2 minutes / 2016 Director: Remi Bumstead Country: Uganda

Narrative short 3 minutes / 2017 Director: Hyacinthe HOUNSOU Country: Côte d’Ivoire

ON TIME

SPOTLIGHT FILM

Narrative short 8 minutes / 2016 Director: Xavier Burgin Country: USA

WAVES/THE WATER Experimental - music 6 minutes / 2017 Directors: SUTRA and Edem Dotse Country: Ghana

A two part music film by UK based Ghanaian singer/songwriter SUTRA, “Waves/The Water” explores notions of God, womanhood, identity, spirituality, suffering and healing. Drawing from Akan tradition, philosophy and symbolism and using water as an overarching motif with fluctuating interpretations, each part of the film represents different ends on a spectrum of pain. It seeks to interrogate the ways in which we process our pain, how we share or bury it, how it breaks us down and how we triumph.

Narrative short 15 minutes / 2017 Director: Kondoki Guillaume Country: Réunion Erika, a young woman born in a tough district of Reunion Island, is faced with a lack of job opportunities. She works many undeclared casual jobs but still looks for a way out…

PROCLAMATION PUNCTUATION

THE REPUBLIC Narrative short 20 minutes / 2017 Director: Omowuni Taiwo Country: Nigeria

THE REPUBLIC is the story of three childhood friends, DAGBO, GARBA and SKUKI. Their village fell into the hands of an invader and treasure hunter, MAMADUGBA who himself was a victim

2017 SVAFF

MY DREAMS ARE IN CREOLE

SPOTLIGHT FILM

FAREWELL MEU AMOR Narrative short 10 minutes / 2016 Director: Ekwa Msangi Country: USA / Tanzania

SPOTLIGHT FILM

On the morning of the long-awaited reunion with his exiled family, a man is faced with the heartbreak of a different type of parting from his lover.

THE CAMEL’S BACK

LOW TIDE

NEW NEIGHBORS

A young girl suffering from a past trauma believes that she has one day left to live. She sets upon a journey to find her one paradise before it happens.

Driss is a respected and proud fisherman who lives in a Village in the north of Morocco. He lives with his only son, Adil, 16, on one of the Small terraces of the village. After the departure of his wife, relationship with his son became very conflictual. Adil decides to leave too, letting Driss sink in grief, guilt, disappointment and alcohol. Adil comes back out of love, but not for long.

Narrative short 22 minutes / 2017 Director: Michelle Mboya Country: Kenya

Narrative short 29 minutes / 2016 Director: Mohamed Aouad Country: Morocco

SPOTLIGHT FILM

Narrative short 9:30 minutes / 2017 Director: E.G. Bailey Country: USA

NOMFUNDO Narrative short 15 minutes / 2017 Director: Sihle Hlophe Country: South Africa

Nomfundo is a short film about a tormented and impulsive young woman who is pregnant with her first child. When Nomfundo is betrayed by the two people she holds dear to her heart, she makes an erratic decision that unleashes a tragic chain of events. She flees from the repercussions of her actions and has a transcendental encounter that changes the course of her life forever.

“The filmmakers here at Silicon Valley African Film Festival represent a new vision and paradigm on the continent.” —

DANNY GLOVER, SVAFF 2016

2017 SVAFF

What people and the media are saying about us ... “The Silicon Valley African Film Festival which takes place in Mountain View, California has become a distinctive and bustling forum for African cinema, arts and cultures. In dispensing with cliches about Africa, and the narrow gauntlet African films are often subjected to in global arenas, the festival’s rich roster, spanning feature-length and short films, documentaries and fiction, emerging and established directors, themes and artistic sensibilities, showcases the inventive spirit and fascinating verve of African film-making.” - Life & Times Magazine, Los Angeles, California. “The best film festival I attended this year in the South Bay was the Silicon Valley African Film Festival, which focuses on screening films from the Continent. I enjoyed a few films on Sunday, then enjoyed the great West African food that was accompained by the African Marketplace” - San Francisco Bay View Newspaper, San Francisco, California. “It seems nothing can suppress the joy that the gathering exudes, the uplift of another perfect Northern California evening - soft light, warm sun, cool air for the young African and African-diaspora filmmakers arriving from points near (Oakland) and far (Egypt, Tanzania, Sierra Leone, Rwanda).” - SiliconValleyOneWorld - an online Demographics & Culture magazine.

Protocol.

“The Silicon Valley Office of Protocol has recently become a “Community Partner” of the Festival to support and promote an event that fosters cultural understanding and exchange between the United States of America and the nations of Africa. On a personal note, it is extremely rewarding to meet representatives of African nations and members of the African Diaspora here in Silicon Valley. I was moved by some of the beautiful images of Africa and how many of the cities shared so much in common with ours. - Deanna Tryon - Chief of Protocol, Silicon Valley Office of “We are proud to have you and the film festival here, It’s a showcase of authentic voices. Thank you for enriching our cultural landscape.” - Mayor John McAlister, Mayor, City of Mountain View.

2017 SVAFF

“Congratulations and commendations on a wonderful event! It was fabulous! The movies that I saw were EXCELLENT! “Wow! You took me all the way back to Africa! Thank you for the gift of this festival. It was such an emotional experience for me as an African immigrant in the United States. My heart is so filled with joy. I want to volunteer next year!” “That was the most wonderful weekend I have spent in years. OMG! 3 days of back to back African films!” “The Festival was WONDERFUL! The films were fantastic, and I loved the whole feel of the opening ceremony and the exciting buzz in the air. This is BIG!”

The Silicon Valley African Film Festival is presented by Oriki Theater, a Silicon Valley based performing arts company that brings to audiences a shared experience of Africa and its people.

2017 SVAFF