BAM Presents FILMAFRICA, A Celebration Of Contemporary African Cinema, May 27-June 2

To celebrate the incredible cinema New York African Film Festival brings to BAM each year during DanceAfrica, the nation's largest festival dedicated to African dance and music taking place May 27-30 at BAM looks back at the decade-plus history of FilmAfrica with a series of recent films and hits from past festivals.

This year's FilmAfrica (screening May 27-Jun 2), includes Mahamat-Saleh Haroun's comedy Sex, Okra and Salted Butter (2008); Andrew Dosunmu's Hot Irons (1998) screening with Jacqueline Kalimunda's Histoire de tresses (About Braids) (2002); a 25th anniversary screening of Moussa Touré's TGV (1997); and two short film programs featuring Suzannah Mirghani's powerful short Al-Sit (2020); Manu Luksch's ALGO-RHYTHM (2019), examining the algorithmic management of daily life; and Tomisin Adepeju's Appreciation (2019) about an African Pentecostal Pastor who questions her beliefs after a life-changing event.

Additional information about FilmAfrica can be found here: https://www.bam.org/film/2022/filmafrica

Film Descriptions:

TGV: 25th Anniversary Screening (1997) Dir. Moussa Touré. TGV is an express bus service between Dakar, Senegal, and Conakry, Guinea, operated by the enterprising Rambo and his assistant, Dembo. Before setting off, Rambo and his passengers are warned of the danger that lies ahead on their route. The Bassari are carrying out a revolt at the Guinea border, leading to an exodus of refugees from their villages. On hearing the news, only a dozen or so passengers decide to make the risky trip. During the arduous journey, each passenger's motivation for making the trip is slowly revealed. In French and Wolof with English subtitles. 90min. Fri, May 27 at 7pm & Mon, May 30 at 4pm

Min Alesh? (2019) Dir. Amleset Muchie. Set in Merkato, a sprawling, open-air market in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Min Alesh? tells the inspiring story of 21-year-old Selam, whose perseverance transforms her life for the better. Having grown up amid poverty and hardships, Selam is determined to change her and her family's circumstances through her passion for running. An international race offers her a chance to achieve her dream. In Amharic with English subtitles. 85min. Sat, May 28 at 6:30pm & Tue, May 31 at 4:30pm

Sex, Okra and Salted Butter (2008) Dir. Mahamat-Saleh Haroun. In this comedy about a Malian family living in France, Malik finds his role as a traditional African husband disrupted when his wife Hortense has an extra-marital affair. When Hortense leaves him to pursue a new life with her lover, Malik is in for a ride as he learns about his eldest son's secret love life and the responsibilities of single parenthood. In French with English subtitles. 81min. Sun, May 29 at 8:30pm & Wed, Jun 1 at 5pm

Mrs. F. (2019) Dir. Chris van der Vorm. In Makoko, the largest slum on water in Nigeria, Mrs. F. sets out to unite women by staging a play called Hear Word, an empowerment project based on true stories. Through highlighting gender inequality, her hope is to help lift women out of oppression, convince them to speak up, and encourage them to connect. But before she can begin to chip away at layers of persecution, she must overcome the unruly gatekeepers of patriarchy and religion. 77min. Sun, May 29 at 4:30pm

When the Stars Meet the Sea (1996) Dir. Raymond Rajaonarivelo. Kapila is born during a solar eclipse, which, according to traditional beliefs in Madagascar, gives him destructive powers. Kapila is trapped in a cattle pen and left to be trampled to death, only to be rescued by Raivo, who raises him as her own child in another village. Growing up embittered because of his injured leg, Kapila is prodded by the guidance of a mystical blind woman to return home to learn about his past. In French and Malagasy with English subtitles. 85min. Sat, May 28 at 2pm

Al-Sit (2020) Dir. Suzannah Mirghani. In a cotton-farming village in Sudan, 15-year-old Nafisa has a crush on Babiker, but her parents have arranged her marriage to a young Sudanese businessman living abroad. Nafisa's grandmother, the powerful village matriarch, has her own plans for Nafisa's future. But can Nafisa choose for herself? In Arabic with English subtitles. 20min. Part of the Film Africa Shorts Program. Sat, May 28 at 4:30pm & Tue, May 31 at 6:30pm

ALGO-RHYTHM (2019) Dir. Manu Luksch. Shot in Dakar with the participation of leading Senegalese musicians, poets, and graffiti artists, ALGO-RHYTHM probes the rise in the algorithmic management of daily life and the insidious threats it poses to human rights and agency. Using hip-hop, drama, street art, and data-driven filmmaking, Manu Luksch's film explores how embracing machine intelligence, refracted through the slick interfaces of smartphone apps, makes us vulnerable to manipulation by political actors. In French with English subtitles. 14min. Part of the Film Africa Shorts Program. Sat, May 28 at 4:30pm & Tue, May 31 at 6:30pm

Appreciation (2019) Dir. Tomisin Adepeju. When an African Pentecostal pastor in London undergoes a life-changing event, she questions everything she believes in. In Yoruba with English subtitles. 14min. Part of the Film Africa Shorts Program. Sat, May 28 at 4:30pm & Tue, May 31 at 6:30pm

Ruthan (An Arabi-Juba Word Meaning Language) (2019) Dir. Abul Ajak. Through her relationship with her grandmothers, Abul Ajak explores how cultural identities are always in transition in this meditation on migration, loss of language, and the transcendence of reimagined forms of communication. In English and Tong-Jieng with English subtitles. 12min. Part of the Film Africa Shorts Program. Sat, May 28 at 4:30pm & Tue, May 31 at 6:30pm

Tab (2019) Dir. Hlumela Matika. Khanya and Sandiswa's father leaves them in his car outside the local horse-racing tracks under strict instructions to stay put. But when Khanya gets her period and decides to enter the arena, she's confronted by her father, his gambling addiction and the tensions in their delicate relationship come to light. In English and Xhosa with English subtitles. 13min. Part of the Film Africa Shorts Program. Sat, May 28 at 4:30pm & Tue, May 31 at 6:30pm

Saloum (2021) Dir. Jean Luc Herbulot. Shot down after fleeing a coup and extracting a drug lord from Guinea-Bissau, the legendary mercenaries known as the Bangui Hyenas must stash their stolen gold bounty, lay low long enough to repair and refuel their plane, and escape back to Dakar, Senegal. When they take refuge at a holiday camp in the coastal region of Sine-Saloum, they do their best to blend in with their fellow guests, but when the past catches up to one of the mercenaires, his decisions have devastating consequences. In French and Wolof with English subtitles. 84min. Sat, May 28 at 8:30pm

A Child's Love Story (2004) Dir. Ben Diogaye Bèye. This touching investigation of innocent love between five children in Senegal, set against the background of a traditional class system, chronicles their friendships and feelings between school, the street, and cultural divides. We follow their journeys through misunderstood love letters, unrequited crushes, and tender encounters with a beggar, all layered over Senegal's economic and social strains. In Wolof and French with English subtitles. 96min. Sun, May 29 at 2pm

Hot Irons (1998) Dir. Andrew Dosunmu. In Detroit, hair styling isn't just a matter of personal grooming-it's a way of life. Andrew Dosunmu (Mother of George) shares an inside glimpse at Motor City hair salons that turn the tresses of their African-American clientele into works of art as he takes his cameras to the annual Hair Wars competition, in which stylists compete to create the wildest and most outrageous hairdo. Offering a stark contrast between the unique aesthetic of The Stylists and the grinding poverty of inner city Detroit, which never fully recovered from the 1968 riots, Hot Irons shows how events like Hair Wars bring a sense of art and purpose to a community. 45min. Screening with Histoire de tresses. Sun, May 29 at 6:30pm

Histoire de tresses (About Braids) (2002) Dir. Jacqueline Kalimunda. Winner of the Best Short Film at Milan and Zanzibar 2003 and the People's Prize at Cannes, Histoire de tresses follows a magical encounter between a mysterious young woman and a gifted African hair-braider who is asked to recreate a completely unconventional style. 23min. Screening with Hot Irons. Sun, May 29 at 6:30pm

The Promises (2020) Dir. Hawa Aliou N'Diaye. Malian filmmaker Hawa Aliou N'Diaye believes that she is possessed by spirits known as jinn. In this documentary, she interviews other women in her community who also believe that they are controlled by the enigmatic spirits. By delving into Malian traditions and myths, N'Diaye explores the ethereal dimensions of the world around her. In Bambara and French with English subtitles. 70min. Mon, May 30 at 6:30pm

Juju Factory (2006) Dir. Balufu Bakupa-Kanyinda. Kongo Congo is a writer living in the Matonge district of Brussels. His editor wants him to produce a travel book spiced with ethnic ingredients, but Kongo is inspired by the complex and tormented souls that he meets at proverbial and literal crossings. His story, and the film's narrative, follow his daily travels as they intertwine with Congolese history and Belgium's ghosts. In French with English subtitles. 97min. Mon, May 30 at 8:30pm

Head Gone (2014) Dir. Dare Fasasi. Due to a road mishap, a bus driver loses some psychiatric patients on the way to a federal hospital. To cover up the mistake, he and a nurse pick up unsuspecting commuters to substitute as the patients. The plot thickens as the new passengers must try to prove their sanity in a psychiatric institution, while the escapees try to adjust to a new environment. This comedy of errors features some of Nigeria's finest entertainers. In English and Pidgin English with English subtitles. 111min. Tue, May 31 at 8:30pm

Don't F*** With Me, I Have 51 Brothers and Sisters (2004) Dir. Dumisani Phakathi. This film charts the story of Phakathi's epic journey to find his 51 siblings and come to terms with the loss of his father as a child. Critics have compared this film to jazz music with bursts of joy and pain that allow the viewer to feel the family's triumph over loss and longing. It is as much the story of South Africa in search of its origins as it is Phakathi's. In English and Zulu with English subtitles. 86min. Wed, Jun 1 at 7:30pm

Pour La Nuit (2004) Dir. Isabelle Boni-Claverie. Muriel, a young métisse, comes to Marseille to bury her mother, who she hasn't seen for years. Unable to bear the heavy weight of family rituals, she flees in the night and ends up in central Marseille, where she stumbles upon Samir's bachelor party. Muriel leaves with Samir, and the night has only just begun. In French with English subtitles. 20min. Part of the Retro Shorts Program. Thu, Jun 2 at 5pm

Lezare (2009) Dir. Zelalem Woldemariam. A revealing and touching story about a homeless boy in a small village in southern Ethiopia, Lezare uses beautiful visuals to deliver a powerful message about global warming and shortsightedness. In Amharic with English subtitles. 15min. Part of the Retro Shorts Program. Thu, Jun 2 at 5pm

Ousmane / Dewenti (2006) Dir. Dyana Gaye. A 7-year-old child who begs in the streets decides to write a letter to Santa Claus. In Wolof with English subtitles. 15min. Part of the Retro Shorts Program. Thu, Jun 2 at 5pm

This is My Africa (2008) Dir. Zina Saro-Wiwa. Through the answers on an 18-point questionnaire, a picture emerges of Africa woven together from different memories and personal perspectives. The interviewees reveal a place that has inspired, infuriated, and delighted them as part of a project that seeks to change the public dialogue surrounding the African continent. 47min. Part of the Retro Shorts Program. Thu, Jun 2 at 5pm

Clouds Over Conakry (2007) Dir. Cheick Fantamady Camara. At the age of 25, the artist-caricaturist BB finds himself faced with an impossible choice. The son of an inflexible imam who guards his village's ancestral traditions, BB is chosen to be his father's worthy successor. He refuses to accept his destiny, preferring to work independently and live life to the fullest with his great love, the beautiful young computer scientist Kesso. This impressive film finds a new approach to capturing the tradition-versus-modernity theme so frequently seen in African cinema. In French and Malinke with English subtitles. 113min. Thu, Jun 2 at 7:30pm

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