🎓 Summer Access Sale

Save 50% through August 31, 2026.

This Digital Educational Collection is available for $495 (regular institutional price $995). If your institution is experiencing exceptional budget limitations, please contact info@africanfilm.com to discuss additional pricing options.

From Colonialism to Democracy: Congolese Voices Across Time

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is the second-largest country in Africa and one of the world's richest nations in natural resources. Yet, more than six decades after independence, it remains at the center of global debates over democracy, conflict, foreign intervention, and the control of the critical minerals that power the global economy.

Today, the country once again faces political uncertainty as President Félix Tshisekedi seeks to open the door to a possible third presidential mandate through constitutional reform, while violence continues to devastate the eastern provinces.

Against this urgent contemporary backdrop, From Colonialism to Democracy: Congolese Voices Across Time provides educators and students with a powerful lens through which to examine the historical, political, and human forces that continue to shape the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Spanning the colonial era, the struggle for democracy, and today's humanitarian crisis, this three-film collection offers essential context for understanding one of Africa's most influential—and most misunderstood—nations.

The collection includes:

• Congo: White King, Red Rubber, Black Death
• The Man Who Mends Women
• Kinshasa Makambo

Congo: White King, Red Rubber, Black Death

This award-winning documentary examines one of the darkest chapters in African history: King Leopold II's brutal exploitation of the Congo Free State. Through rare archival material and expert analysis, the film exposes the forced labor, mass atrocities, and exploitation carried out in the pursuit of rubber and ivory, providing essential historical context for understanding the Democratic Republic of the Congo today.

The Man Who Mends Women

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. Denis Mukwege has dedicated his life to treating survivors of sexual violence in eastern Congo. Through his medical practice and international advocacy, the film reveals the devastating human consequences of decades of conflict while celebrating the resilience of women fighting for dignity, healing, and justice.

Kinshasa Makambo

Set during the movement opposing President Joseph Kabila's attempt to remain in power beyond constitutional limits, Kinshasa Makambo follows three young pro-democracy activists who risk imprisonment, violence, and exile in their fight for democratic change. As the Democratic Republic of the Congo confronts renewed debate over presidential term limits, the film offers timely insight into the continuing struggle for accountable government and civic freedom.

Together, these three films trace the Democratic Republic of the Congo's journey from colonial exploitation to today's struggle for peace, democracy, and justice. They encourage critical discussion of colonialism, natural resources, democracy, constitutional governance, human rights, political activism, conflict, and the resilience of Congolese civil society.

Ideal for courses and programs in:

• African Studies
• Africana Studies
• History
• Political Science
• Human Rights
• International Relations
• Peace and Conflict Studies
• Postcolonial Studies
• Global Studies
• Women's and Gender Studies

Purchase includes perpetual institutional streaming access with Public Performance Rights (PPR) for all three films.

🎓 Summer Access Sale

Save 50% through August 31, 2026.

This Digital Educational Collection is available for $495 (regular institutional price $995). If your institution is experiencing exceptional budget limitations, please contact info@africanfilm.com to discuss additional pricing options.

Literature, Film, and Decolonization in Africa

Designed to support teaching in African Studies, Literature, History, Postcolonial Studies, Cultural Studies, Film and Media Studies, and related disciplines, Literature, Film, and Decolonization in Africa offers a direct entry point into the history and legacy of colonialism in Africa through literature and film. Centered on the work of Frantz Fanon and Mongo Beti, it connects political thought, literary critique, and lived experience to show how colonial systems shaped identity, culture, and resistance.

The collection includes:
• Frantz Fanon: His Life, His Struggle, His Work
• Following the Footsteps of Ville Cruelle
• Congo: White King, Red Rubber, Black Death

Frantz Fanon: His Life, His Struggle, His Work introduces one of the most influential voices on decolonization. Following the Footsteps of Ville Cruelle revisits the world of Mongo Beti, grounding his writing in the realities of Cameroon, past and present. Congo: White King, Red Rubber, Black Death exposes the violence and economic exploitation at the core of colonial rule in Central Africa.

Together, Literature, Film, and Decolonization in Africa provides a clear, accessible framework for understanding how colonial histories were constructed—and how they continue to be challenged through writing and cinema. The collection supports discussion on colonialism, decolonization, literature, historical memory, power, representation, and the role of culture in shaping historical narratives.

Purchase includes perpetual institutional streaming access with Public Performance Rights (PPR) to all three films.

On the Traces of Cruel City (Sur les traces de Ville Cruelle)

🎓 Summer Access Sale

Save 50% through August 31, 2026.

This Digital Educational Collection is available for $495 (regular institutional price $995). If your institution is experiencing exceptional budget limitations, please contact info@africanfilm.com to discuss additional pricing options.

Music & Cultural Memory

Designed to support teaching in Africana Studies, Musicology, Cultural Studies, African Studies, Diaspora Studies, Film and Media Studies, and related disciplines, Music & Cultural Memory explores how music preserves histories of exile, migration, resistance, and return. Spanning South Africa, London, and Gorée Island, these three films reveal how artists carry cultural memory across borders and generations.

The collection includes:
• Mama Africa: Miriam Makeba 
• The Story of Lovers Rock
• Youssou N'Dour: Return to Goree

Finding Odera

Finding Odera is a heartwarming, transcultural drama exploring themes of love, loss, and the global search for self. The film follows Olisa Obi, a devoted Nigerian man who leaves the vibrant, culturally rich world of Lagos—a city whose markets and streets reflect his dynamic spirit—for the sprawling, multicultural metropolis of Toronto, Canada, in search of his long-lost love, Odera.

What begins as a focused quest for romance quickly evolves into an unexpected journey of self-discovery. Olisa’s search is aided by Aria McDonald, a Canadian filmmaker whose collaboration helps him navigate the challenges of a new continent.

This partnership deepens the film’s compelling study of modern migration and the complexities of the Nigerian diaspora. The environment itself acts as a central character, with the diverse neighborhoods of Toronto mirroring Olisa’s evolving emotional state.

 Ultimately, his transformation leads him to discover his deepest desire in the unlikeliest of places, challenging traditional expectations of success and connection.

Nigeria/Canada, 2023, 92 mins, romantic drama in English, Charles Uwagbai, dir.

"It explores themes of love, cultural identity and human connection." —
Charlot Daysh (Actress, Geek Girl Authority Interview)

"I particularly liked the Lead actor's performance, so believable, I totally connected." —
Nika Belina (Film Director)

The Wall Street Boy, Kipkemboi

“The Wall Street Boy / Kipkemboi" tells the story of a young math genius from rural Kenya who uses his understanding of patterns in nature to develop a successful stock market algorithm. His remarkable success from a makeshift setup in his village draws attention from international financiers and local authorities, forcing him and his girlfriend Chepchirchir to flee.

This fictional film explores themes of innovation, resourcefulness, and the clash between tradition and modernity. It serves as a valuable educational resource, prompting discussions on financial literacy, ethics in global finance, and the socio-economic dynamics of contemporary Africa.

Kenya/Canada, 2024, 90 mins, drama in English, Charles Uwagbai, dir. 

“The Wall Street Boy, Kipkemboi has a strong socially conscious subtext as the village youth becomes a political prisoner. If redistribution of wealth to the least of these among us is a socialist principle, suffice it to say that “Kipkemboi” cleverly achieves this – but through exploiting the capitalist system. The film also is very positive about the role of women as strong equals. Not only is Kipkemboi’s mother supportive, but Chipchirchir is no mere cheerleader. She does more than inspire Kipkemboi; she drives their getaway vehicle and this village lass has dreams of her own, aspiring to become an attorney. Watching the romance of the appealing leads blossom is also beguiling." ~ Ed Rampell, The Progressive Populist

SCREENINGS:

CITIZEN KWAME

“Citizen Kwame” is a Kafkaesque film about travel visas and brain drain in Africa. It tells the story of Kwame, an ambitious African man who wants to travel outside his country. However, he must first obtain a visa from a white Western gatekeeper who controls movements in and out of the house. It is only with the help of a newly acquired white Western girlfriend that he succeeds.

“This film explores universal themes such as freedom of movement, family and friendship, in a way that is meant to make the audience reflect on them,"  ~ Yuhi Amuli

Rwanda, 2023, 81 mins, drama in English, Yuhi Amuli, dir. 

DIRECTED BY RAJA AMARI
TUNISIA AND FRANCE / 2016 / ARABIC AND FRENCH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES / 92 MIN

Foreign body - Trailer from ArtMattan Productions on Vimeo.

SYNOPSIS
Seeking refuge from her Islamist radical brother whom she informed on, a young woman arrives in France illegally following Tunisia's Jasmine Revolution and discovers a new world of both hope and danger, in the fourth feature from writer-director Raja Amari (Satin Rouge, Buried Secrets).

Rent the film today! 50% of the profits will go to your favorite theater!

Director RAJA AMARI introduces the film for you:

Foreign Body Intro by director Raja Amari from ArtMattan Productions on Vimeo.

DIRECTOR AND CAST

Director: Raja Amari
Starring: Sarra Hannachi
Starring: Salim Kechiouche
Starring: Hiam Abbass

GENRE
Drama

STAMBALI
DIRECTED BY NAWFEL SAHEB-ETTABA
TUNISIA / 1999 / ENGLISH AND ARABIC WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES / 52 MIN

In Tunisia, the history of stambali goes back to the arrival of the first Africans taken as slaves from Mali, Timbuktu specifically. Practicing their music and worship in the house of their masters, the enslaved and their musical traditions survive to this day.

Stambali is a religious ritual in Tunisia, a journey with the rhythm of the "gombri" and "chkackek," traces an individual and collective hypnosis, an annual tribute that the disciples of Sidi Saad pay to their master during an initiatory journey and rite of purification that lasts three days.

In "Stambali," the camera, video and film follow the rhythm of the possession, dances, and goes into a trance, in the cemetery, in an open space of grass, trees, dust and sand, in the eroticism that is released by this physical and spiritual representation.

Two coming of age stories that explore the life of 2 young women on 2 islands.

Set in Puerto Rico, ANGÉLICA is a drama about a young Afro- Latino woman who must fight to find her voice.

THE CATHEDRAL, from Mauritius, follows free spirited Lina as she faces an important decision that will impact her life.


ANGÉLICA

Angélica, after a long absence from Puerto Rico, returns home when her father, Wilfredo, suffers a stroke. This unexpected return and her father’s illness force Angelica to re-evaluate her relationship with her mother and family members who don’t accept her because of her skin color. She must face herself and discovers that she does not know who she is. After her father’s death, Angelica must decide whether to return to the comfort of her previous life, dissatisfied, but secure, or set on an adventurous path to rediscover herself as an independent, modern, strong, black, and Puerto Rican woman.

Directed by Marisol Gómez-Mouakad, Puerto Rico, 2016, 100min, Drama, English & Spanish w/English subtitles

THE CATHEDRAL

The Cathedral is a lyrical narration set in the beautiful and unusual setting of Port-Louis,   capital of Mauritius. Lina, a young woman in search of her identity interacts daily with friends and family in a carefree happy manner that will be challenged when one day her dancing    catches the eye of a photographer... The Cathedral is based on a short story by Ananda Devi.

Directed By Harrikrisna Anenden , Mauritius, 2006, 78 Min, drama in Creole With English Subtitles. 

GREAT AFRICAN FILMS - Vol 5 The fifth installment in this series of award-winning films from Africa includes award winning films A Son (Un Fils) by Mehdi Barsaoui and Wulu by Daouda Coulibaly.

A SON (Un Fils) / Bik Eneich 

An intense family drama starring French-Tunisian actor Sami Bouajila, winner of the Orizzonti Award for Best Actor, Venice Film Festival 2019 and winner of the César Awards, France for Best Actor in 2021.  

11 year old Aziz needs a liver transplant after being seriously injured during a terrorist ambush while on holiday in 2011. At the hospital, a family secret will be revealed.

A drama that expertly captures complex human emotions within their socio-cultural, historical and political context. ~ Hollywood Reporter

Directed By Mehdi Barsaoui / Tunisia/ 2019/ Drama/ Arabic With English Subtitles/ 96 Min

WÙLU

Shot for a good deal of the time using hand-held cameras, WÙLU is an African thriller that has an urgency and a vibrancy most Western made films lack.

Ladji, (a beautifully understated Ibrahim Koma), is the young man who, after losing his job on the cross-border taxis, takes up smuggling cocaine with lucrative if highly dangerous results.

A social commentary about the impact of corruption on intelligent, hard working African youths looking to improve their standard of living at home.

Official Selection TIFF 2016.  Winner Ousmane-Sembene Prize and Best Actor Award for Ibrhim Koma at FESPACO 2017.

Directed by Daouda Coulibaly, 2016, France/Mali, 95min, crime drama, French w/ English subtitles

THE LAST TREE tells the compelling coming-of-age story of a Black British boy of Nigerian descent in London.  In GLORIOUS EXIT Jarreth Merz, a Swiss-Nigerian actor living in Los Angeles, is summoned to Nigeria to bury his father.

THE LAST TREE

Femi, a British boy of Nigerian descent who, after a happy childhood in rural Lincolnshire with his white foster mother, moves to inner London to live with his Nigerian mum.

Struggling with the unfamiliar culture and values of his new environment, teenage Femi has to figure out which path to adulthood he wants to take, and what it means to be a young black man in London.

Going back home to Nigeria with his mum to find his Nigerian roots will help adolescent Femi find grounding and hope for a better future.

Directed by Shola Amoo, 2019, UK, 98 min, drama, English.

Second film in DVD:

GLORIOUS EXIT

Official Selection ACID Cannes Film Festival 2023!

Nome is a historical drama directed by Sana Na N'Hada and written by Virgílio Almeida and Olivier Marboeuf. The story takes place in Guinea-Bissau in 1969, during the war of independence between the Portuguese colonial army and the guerrillas of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea.

The protagonist, Nome, leaves his village and joins the ranks of the guerrillas. After years of struggle, he returns to his village as a hero. However, the initial joy soon gives way to bitterness and cynicism.

By Sana Na N'Hada,  Guinea-Bissau/France/Portugal/Angola, 2023, 117min, Drama, Portuguese w/ English subtitles

"Nome  is a film over 50 years in the making. In the late 60s, revolutionary Bissau-Guinean Marxist leader Amílcar Cabral sent filmmakers Sana na N’Hada, Flora Gomes, Josefina Lopes Crato and José Bolama to Cuba. To help change international public opinion against the Portuguese colonial regime, they returned to the country to document the struggle. This archive footage forms the basis for the fiction Nome, N’hada following its eponymous character as he joins the resistance movement. 

Perhaps Cabral, had he lived to see this movie (assassinated in 1973), would be disappointed, as Na N’hada, returning to one of his first filmmaking projects, complicates a simple resister narrative into a more complex tale of post-colonial legacy and the true cost of war. Things get particularly messy when the occupation is over, colonial occupation giving way to corruption and petty gangsterism on the streets of Bissau, issues that have plagued the country until this day. 

Independence, it seems, is just the start. " ~ ACID Cannes 2023

Demba is an African who has fled an oppressive regime in his own country and is seeking asylum in Paris. One night he encounters Lucien, a policeman from the Caribbean, who speaks to him in the voice of the dominant class. But in his country Demba is a professor of History and Geography while Lucien left school early to help his mother, a cleaning lady.

“YAFA Le Pardon” explores the social and economic dynamics at work in their relationship as they seek to understand each other, aided by Welcome, a Baule Komian who does not hesitate to officiate as the parties meet on the Quai de l’Oise, in the centre of Paris.

Directed by Christian Lara, France, 2019, 85 Minutes, drama, French with English subtitles

WULU Trailer from ArtMattan Films on Vimeo.

WÙLU

Shot for a good deal of the time using hand-held cameras, WÙLU is an African thriller that has an urgency and a vibrancy most Western made films lack.

Ladji, (a beautifully understated Ibrahim Koma), is the young man who, after losing his job on the cross-border taxis, takes up smuggling cocaine with lucrative if highly dangerous results.

A social commentary about the impact of corruption on intelligent, hard working African youths looking to improve their standard of living at home.

Official Selection TIFF 2016.

Directed by Daouda Coulibaly, 2016, France/Mali, 95min, crime drama, French w/ English subtitles

"In Wùlu, Malian cinema has found a promising and intriguing new voice." ~ Pamela Pianezza, Variety

"The film's foretold but very understated ending, which keeps a key moment offscreen to devastating effect, again confirms that Coulibaly is a talent to watch." ~ Boyd van Hoeij, Hollywood Reporter

"Coulibaly's Wùlu is a well-acted, fast moving, episodic depiction of some of the issues in contemporary Africa." ~ Alexa Dalby, Dog and Wolf

"A rags-to-riches crime saga like you won't see anywhere else." ~ Brent McKnight, The Last Thing I See

NELIO’S STORY / COMEDIA INFANTIL
Shot in Mozambique, but set in an unnamed city, the film depicts the life of an orphan boy, Nelio, whose parents were killed by guerrillas. He escapes to the city and finds magic there and is soon rumored to possess healing powers...
ALMODOU
Meet Modou, a young, courageous and determined talibé - a pupil in a Koranic school - who manages to escape from his corrupt and abusive teacher to find a better life in contemporary Dakar, Senegal.

NELIO'S STORY

MOTO TAXI / BENDSKINS

MOTO TAXI, Narcisse Wandji's first feature film, explores questions and concerns related to the daily life of three Cameroonians, two men and a woman, who manage to make a living working as motorcycle taxis.

Sani, Marie and Franck are three young moto-taxi drivers with unique destinies and stories. Sani has to face Charles, his employer and also father of Samedi, his girlfriend, who is pregnant with his child. Marie, raped five years ago, tries to find Tom, her rapist. And Franck, on his side, must do everything to get rid of the lifeless body of an 8 month old child.

In Moto Taxi, Narcisse Wandji refers both visually and through the dialogues in his film to some important auteurs in African Cinema. Quartier Mozart by Jean-Pierre Bekolo is mentioned casually in a conversation while a Moto Taxi driver explains that the corn on his motorcycle was inspired by Djibril Diop Mambety’s Touki Bouki.

“These references reassure the cinephiles looking for cinematic innovation. The question of cultural identity remains at the heart of the auteur’s work while he/she strives to give a universal feel to his/her creation. “ Pierre Patrick Touko.

Directed by Narcisse Wandji, Cameroon, 2021, 90 mins, drama, French (with English subtitles)

Minga and The Broken Spoon Trailer - ArtMattan from ArtMattan Productions on Vimeo.

MINGA and the Broken Spoon

A charming animation for the entire family, this African fable tells the story of Minga, an orphaned girl living with her stepmother MamiKaba and her stepsister Abena. One day, when she washes the dishes in the river, she accidentally brakes a spoon. A furious MamiKaba chases her away from the house, asking her to find the only identical spoon hidden by her late mother. An adventurous journey then begins for Minga in the forest.

 Minga and the Broken Spoon is the first feature-length animated film entirely conceived and produced in Cameroon and is loosely based on “The Broken Spoon,” the famous African tale. The film is a vibrant tribute to Cameroon’s rich cultural diversity, while being a source of entertainment for the young and old alike.

By Claye Edou, Cameroon, 2019, 80 min, animated film with two audio tracks: English and French (with English subtitles).

Back Of the Moon Trailer - Art from ArtMattan Productions on Vimeo.

BACK OF THE MOON: SOPHIATOWN 1958

Oscar-nominated South African director, Angus Gibson, takes us back to the glitz and menace of Sophiatown in his stylish new film, Back Of The Moon. Starring Richard Lukunku and Moneoa Moshesh.

28 July 1958. Badman, an intellectual and the leader of the most powerful gang in Sophiatown, lives life on his own terms in this crazy, cosmopolitan, half demolished ghetto on the edge of Johannesburg. The gorgeous Eve Msomi, a torch-singer on the brink of an international career, is giving her last concert in the local hall before she travels to London. Tomorrow, legions of Apartheid police will force the residents of Gerty street out of their homes and they will be trucked to a desolate township, ten miles out of the city.

Refusing to face the bleak reality of black South African life, Badman has decided that he will fight to the death for his home. But fate, thrusts Eve Msomi, whom he has loved from a distance, into his orbit. And on this night that bears this beautiful encounter, Badman’s gang, The Vipers, sensing his vulnerability, turns on them both.

Directed by Angus Gibson, South Africa, 2019, 95min, Drama, Zulu w/English subtitles

“Eve is kind of a character that was based on Miriam Makeba on the eve that she leaves for London. So you have this great talent that you know is being driven out of this country and then Badman, played by Richard Lukunku, is an intellectual, he should have been a leader in the community and in order to hold his head up high, he has become a gangster. So both of these pretty fabulous characters are lost to South Africa. That is something that I find sad.”  ~ Director August Wilson

AWARDS

South African Film and Television Awards (2020)
Best Achievement in Costume Design - Feature Film

Black Film Festival Montreal, Canada (2020) 
Best International Narrative Feature

Durban International Film Festival, South Africa (2019) 
Best South African Narrative Feature

A Son - Trailer - ArtMattan Films.mp4 from ArtMattan Productions on Vimeo.

A SON / Bik Eneich: Un fils 

DIRECTED BY MEHDI BARSAOUI 
TUNISIA/ 2019/ DRAMA/ ARABIC WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES/ 96 MIN

SYNOPSIS

An intense family drama starring French-Tunisian actor Sami Bouajila, winner of the Orizzonti Award for Best Actor, Venice Film Festival 2019.  11 year old Aziz needs a liver transplant after being seriously injured during a terrorist ambush while on holiday in 2011. At the hospital, a family secret will be revealed.

A drama that expertly captures complex human emotions within their socio-cultural, historical and political context. ~ Hollywood Reporter

Not many debuting directors are able to bring subtlety and depth to a heart-rending subject, which is just one reason why Mehdi M. Barsaoui's superb "A Son" deserves significant attention. ~ Variety

It's a film reminiscent of the work of Iranian master Asghar Farhadi [A Separation, The Salesman], full of twists and turns as it puts its characters in increasingly tragic situations. ~ Cineuropa

AWARDS

César Awards, France (2021)
Best Actor: Sami Bouajila

Victoria Film Festival, Canada (2020) 
Best Feature: Mehdi Barsaoui

Malmö Arab Film Festival (2020)
Best Actress: Najla Ben Abdallah

Kosmorama, Trondheim Internasjonale Film Festival (2020)
New Director's Award: Mehdi Barsaoui

Venice Film Festival (2019)
Best Actor: Sami Bouajila

Cairo International Film Festival (2019)
Arab Cinema's Horizons Award: Mehdi Barsaoui
Salah Abu Seif Prize: Mehdi Barsaoui
UNFPA Award: Mehdi Barsaoui

Hainan International Film Festival (2019)
Young Talent Award Winner: Best Feature Film 

A Taste of Our Land - Trailer - Art from ArtMattan Productions on Vimeo.

A TASTE OF OUR LAND

Set in an unnamed African country, A Taste of Our Land is a film about greed told against the backdrop of the current Chinese influence in African countries. While trying to provide for his pregnant wife, Yohani, an older African man, retrieves a gold nugget in a Chinese-run mine built on his land and runs away to sell it for $100. When he learns its real value, he becomes as obsessed with it as Cheng, the Chinese mine supervisor who will stop at nothing to get it back.

Winner, Best First Feature Film, 2020 Africa Movie Academy Awards; Winner, Best First Feature Narrative, 2020 Pan African Film Festival.

MYOPIA

Fatem, sixth month pregnant, leaves her village perched in the mountains, to fill a frame with empty glasses for the elder of her village, the only person who can decipher the letters sent by members of the villagers’ families who have gone to work in the cities. She moves from station to station to arrive in town in the middle of a protest. This will turn her trip into a peaceful revolution that she is hardly aware of.

Directed by Sanaa Akroud, Morocco 2020, 86min, drama, Arabic w/English subtitles

"A beautifully observed meditation on faith, perseverance and integrity, Moroccan director Sanae Akroud’s sophomore feature is an immersive and heart-breaking unique female saga. " ~ The Brazilian

"This film, which carries beautiful qualities of image and lighting, speaks of poverty, of the feminine condition and of a happiness so simple that one can hardly grasp its meaning nowadays. ~ La Presse

"Fatem is played by Sanaa Akroud, also the film's director. Akroud was in the acclaimed 2011 Egyptian film "Scheherazade, Tell Me a Story". In "Myopia" she is brilliant as our unsettlingly passive villager, whether inquiring about a letter from an absent husband or when wandering innocently through the city in search of an eyeglass shop." ~ Barbara Nimri Aziz

"She will be questioned by the police, defended by an association, interviewed by a journalist… She is accused of having endangered her baby, she is asked some of the most intrusive questions, but each person applies their own way of thinking - myopia of a society incapable of perceiving its difference. Agressive police officers falsely accused, activists urging her to press charges, sensationalist journalist who transforms news, even a listening minister… none understand that she only wants to fix the glasses." ~ Olivier Barlet

"It is in listening to these women that Sanaa Akroud wrote this script which she both interprets and directs. Apart from the interviews, she does it with few words. Wolfango Alfi's sequence shots respond to this desire to account for the time taken by everyday acts. They contribute to the open-mindedness called for by this film without a clear message, if not to invite people to understand that an equivocation is not a limit but a complexity." ~ Olivier Barlet

"This story is sure to resonate with many American viewers learning about the depth of racial disparities and the flaws in U.S. democracy where agents of ‘liberal’ society and opposition parties once again reach out to Black and Brown Americans and immigrants with shallow promises of equality and reform." ~ Barbara Nimri Aziz

SHE HAD A DREAM - Young, Tunisian and Black

Ghofrane, 25, is a young Black Tunisian woman. A committed activist who speaks her mind, she embodies Tunisia's current political upheaval. As a victim of racial discrimination, Ghofrane decides to go into politics.

We follow her extraordinary path, ranging from acting on her ambition to be in politics to disillusion. Through her attempts to persuade both close friends and complete strangers to vote for her, her campaign reveals the many faces of a country seeking to forge a new identity.

In its own unique way, this documentary sheds light on the place of women and Black people in Tunisia's changing society.

Directed by Raja Amari, Tunisia, 2020, 90min, documentary, Arabic and French w/English subtitles

* IDFA 2020 - World Premiere

"Binous' determination to be an agent of change lends the film an engaging, upbeat energy that enhances its appeal..." ~ Screen International

"Effortlessly balancing the personal and the political - and the invisible line between them - the filmmaker offers a glimpse into the future of a better Tunisia through Binous's unique odyssey." ~ Film Inquiry

"As a Black woman from a working-class neighborhood in Tunisia, 25-year-old Ghofrane Binous has spent her whole life dealing with class inequality, racism, and sex discrimination. Following an extremely racist incident in 2018 while working as a flight attendant, she posted a cry for help on social media that was widely viewed, then joined a women’s movement and became politically active. The film follows this charismatic figure in the run-up to the 2019 national elections—during the turbulent campaign period, on the way to countless meetings, and in heated conversations with family members, friends, and party members.

The camera stays close to this young woman who is keen to perpetuate the myth of her own invulnerability—and maybe that’s exactly what she needs to do to rise to the top. The backdrop to her political ambition is a divided society where people have little confidence in their own democracy. Connecting it all is the voice-over in which Binous shares her vision of life, and her motivations for becoming politically active in a paternalistic, segregated society where women generally draw the shortest straw." IDFA

 MADE IN LAGOS

2 Weeks in Lagos is a turbulent and thrilling journey into the lives of Ejikeme and Lola. Their lives collide when Ejikeme an investment banker comes home from the United States with Lola’s brother Charlie to invest in Nigerian businesses.  2 Weeks in Lagos captures the excitement, vibrancy, and complexity of everyday life in Lagos, a dynamic city where anything is possible in 2 Weeks.

“Nigerian filmmaker Kathryn Fasegha’s sophomore feature is one of those great surprises that remind us why we love movies. Through the simple premise of two families coming to terms to decide their future and legacy, focusing on the romantic bridge between the youngsters, the director conceives a heart-warming, enchanted, funny and perceptive look at family values, faith, integrity, pure love and capital interests.” ~ Brazilian Press

“2 Weeks in Lagos paints a dynamic and vigorous canvas of the city and its vibrancy. Efficiently performed by a stellar cast, well written with accurate humor and unexpected twists, it’s an accomplished, sensitive and timely romantic comedy.” ~ Brazilian Press

KING AMPAW is a Germany trained Ghanaian filmmaker whose work has gained international recognition. Kukurantumi, The Road to Accra, winner Film Critics Award, FESPACO 1985, is one of two feature films - with No Time to Die - in this double set DVD "A KING BEHIND THE CAMERA" that offers a good-humored depiction of life in modern Ghana.

KUKURANTUMI: THE ROAD TO ACCRA