COLORS OF CURACAO

$295.00

This two-DVD set featuring classic film "Ava & Gabriel: A Love Story" and contemporary drama "Papa's Song" serves as a window into the charming world of Curacao, part of the Dutch-owned Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean.

AVA & GABRIEL

Writer Norman DePalm offers two romantic dramas that bring to light the culture and character of the island. Set in Curacao in the 1940s, "Ava & Gabriel: A Love Story" (Felix de Rooy, 1990, 100 mins.) tells of the painter Gabriel Goedbloed, who arrives from Holland to paint a mural of the Virgin Mary in St. Anna's Church. Although Gabriel is there at the request of St. Anna's parish priest, the clergy and local citizens are surprised to find that he is black--originally from Surinam. The colonial Antillian society proves less than tolerant towards the visitor, especially after he chooses as his model a young teacher, Ava, who is engaged to a white police official. When the Dutch Governor's wife also becomes interested in Gabriel, tensions and hypocrisies rise within the community.

Directed by Felix de Rooy, Netherelands/France, 1990, Drama, Dutch and Papiamento with English subtitles

PAPA'S SONG

Addressing the complex and difficult state of race relations in the Netherlands, "Papa's Song" (Sander Francken, 1999, 95 mins.) is "an interesting drama of domestic tension and cross-cultural misunderstanding" (The New York Times).

The peaceful life of a Dutch magistrate, his wife from Curacao, and her two young nephews, turns suddenly volatile when the wife's sister arrives on the scene. The sisters' stormy relationship is complicated when the wife, unable to have children, tries to convince her husband to impregnate her sister.

In Dutch and Papiamento with English subtitles. Directed by Felix de Rooy/Sander Francken---Netherlands/Curacao---1990/1999---195 mins.

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CELL 512

$295.00

CELL 512

DIRECTED BY MISSA HÉBIÉ

BURKINA FASO / 2015 / FRENCH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES / 99 MIN

SYNOPSIS

Cell 512 that takes a critical look at the prison and legal systems in Burkina Faso, the issue of corruption and the status of women in society.

Honorine, a married woman from a modest background with two young children and a loving husband is involved in a car accident that causes the death of a 17-year-old boy. The young man was the son of a rich and vindictive business man who makes every effort to ensure Honorine gets the worst treatment possible when she is sent to prison.

Through the life experiences of Honorine in prison, the film shows the harsh laws and vices of prison life: sexual harassment, physical and emotional violence, promiscuity and obligation to suffer without complaint or murmur. All these evils are the fruit of the imagination of officials and prison guards, and of prisoners themselves as they seek to meet their needs and their libido. Justice, only recourse of the weak, is mired in a system of corruption, influence peddling, where the reason of the strongest and the richest prevails.

Cell 512 received the prestigious Catholic Church-sponsored SIGNIS award during FESPACO 2015. SIGNIS, as an international association, promotes media for a culture of peace. The SIGNIS prize is always awarded to a film that promotes gospel, human or Christian values. Cell 512 received the award for “addressing matters that promote the integrity of family values in the face of severe challenges, presenting the relationship between men and women as complementary, and for its attention for the poor.”

DIRECTOR AND CAST

Director: Missa Hébié

Starring: Ousseini Ouedraogo

Starring: Baru Oumar Ouédraogo

GENRES

Drama

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CHILDHOOD DESTROYED

$195.00

CHILDHOOD DESTROYED

DIRECTED BY ZARA M. YACOUB

CHAD / 1999 / ARABIC DIALECT AND FRENCH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES / 26 MIN

SYNOPSIS

Eleven year old Mariam works as a domestic to provide for her guardian, her unemployed Uncle Djimet, and his family. Mariam wakes up early each day to go to work while Djimet, his wife Isabelle and their children are still asleep. Mariam works as an all-purpose maid, housekeeper, cook and baby sitter for the Nadji family. With her many tasks, she is constantly under pressure from Nadji and his son Moussa, and must answer to the whims of his wife, and young children. One day, Mariam is arrested for having unwittingly thrown rubbish in a prohibited place. She is detained for five days in prison without her uncle or employer even inquiring of her whereabouts. "Childhood destroyed" denounces the living conditions of young girls in Chad in a delicate yet powerful way.

DIRECTOR AND CAST

Director: Zara M. Yacoub

GENRES

Drama

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CAPE VERDE MY LOVE

$245.00

CAPE VERDE MY LOVE

DIRECTED BY ANA LUCIA RAMOS LISBOA

CAPE VERDE / 2007 / CREOLE WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES / 77 MIN

SYNOPSIS

Praïa, Cape verde. Laura, Flavia and Bela are childhood friends. Each leads her own life and they sometimes meet to dance, dine and have fun. But one day the calm rivers of their lives break their banks and become wild torrents: Ricardo, Flavia's husband, rapes his pupil Indira, Laura's 13-year old eldest daughter. A film that takes a critical look at the lives of women in Cape Verde.

DIRECTOR AND CAST

Director: Ana Lucia Ramos Lisboa

Starring: Eric Bridges Twahirwa

Starring: Cleophas Kabasita

Starring: Davis Kagenza

GENRES

Drama

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BILATENA, THE GOLDEN CHILD

$295.00

BILATENA, THE GOLDEN CHILD

Directed by Kinfe Banbu, 2014 | Ethiopia | Drama | 105 min | Amharic w/ English subtitles

SYNOPSIS

Bilatena tells us the story of Abi, a young boy who is representative of million of children in Africa who do not attend school and work to sustain their families. Childhood Destroyed from Chad tells a similar story from a girl's perspective. Bilatena also introduces us to the problems of the Ethiopian health system.

Abi, a dynamic and resourceful twelve year old boy, lives with his mother Degua and his 26 year old university graduate unemployed brother Zelalem (Zele). Abi, who is a a hyper-industrious hard working 12-year-old boy with two jobs, supports his poor mother and his older unemployed brother through their day to day lives.

But when their mother dies of Hepatitis B and Abi is also infected with the virus, Zele must face the big challenge of supporting his own life and keeping his younger brother alive by earning the 20,000 Ethiopian birr per month needed for his brother's medication.

"A fairy tale with a real-life grit" ~ Celia Wren, The Washington Post

"Answering questions via e-mail from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Bilatena producer Melkam Yideg said the story drew on Banbu’s experience growing up in a neighborhood of the Ethiopian capital where children often skip school to earn money for their families. While drawing attention to this phenomenon, and to the importance of industriousness in general, the movie also aims to raise awareness about hepatitis, Yideg says. “From the feedback we [have received] from our audience, we can proudly say that we have met our goal,” she says." ~ Celia Wren, The Washington Post

DIRECTOR

Director: Kinfe Banbu

GENRES

Drama

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AN UNCOMMON WOMAN

$245.00

AN UNCOMMON WOMAN

DIRECTED BY DAO ABDOULAYE

BURKINA FASO / 2009 / FRENCH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES / 101 MIN

SYNOPSIS

Mina is tired of her husband's infidelity and decides to take a drastic decision: She takes a second husband. Based on his conversations with women involved in polygamist relationships, he illustrates - to very funny effects - the daily life of two persons - in this case two men - who share a spouse. On a comedic tone, Abdoulaye Dao tells us a story of jealousy, infidelity, romance and revenge.

DIRECTOR AND CAST

Director: Dao Abdoulaye

GENRES

Social Comedy

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ALMODOU

$195.00

ALMODOU

DIRECTED BY AMADOU

SENEGAL / 2002 / WOLOF AND FRENCH / 85 MIN

SYNOPSIS

Sometimes distasteful practices are most effectively criticized with a good sense of humor. 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.

DIRECTOR AND CAST

Director: Amadou

GENRES

Comedy

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ALMACITA, SOUL OF DESOLATO

$195.00

ALMACITA, SOUL OF DESOLATO

DIRECTED BY FELIX DE ROOY

CURACAO / 1986 / PAPAMIENTU WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES / 100 MIN

SYNOPSIS

Based on old legends, the film depicts a fictional agricultural community in an isolated part of Curaçao at the turn of the century. The central theme of the film is the struggle between creative and destructive forces.

In the village of Desolato, Solem, the priestess protects the villagers from Alma Sola, the symbol of evil, the patriarch of the "shons", the white landowners. Alma Sola has the power to transform into male, female or animal and always strikes when vigilance of Desolato weakens.

Solem has sacrificed her fertility for the welfare of the community. Therefore she is not allowed to have a relationship with a man. Her longing for physical love provides Alma Sola with an opportunity to lead her stray.

Paul Robeson Prize for Best Diaspora Film, FESPACO 1991

DIRECTOR AND CAST

Director: Felix De Rooy

Starring: Marian Rolle

Starring: Gwendomar Roosje

Starring: Ubi Kirindongo

GENRES

Drama

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African Tales: Tazzeka & Bilatena: The Golden Child

$295.00

Double DVD with Two African Stories: TAZZEKA (Morocco) & BILATENA: THE GOLDEN CHILD (Ethiopia)

TAZZEKA

Growing up in the Moroccan village of Tazzeka, Elias learned the secrets of traditional Moroccan cuisine from his grandmother who raised him. Years later, meeting a top Paris chef and a young woman named Salma inspires him to leave home.

Directed By Jean-Philippe Gaud / France and Morocco / 2018 / French, Arabic w/ English Subtitles / 95 min

BILATENA, THE GOLDEN CHILD

Abi, a dynamic and resourceful twelve year old boy, lives with his mother Degua and his 26 year old university graduate unemployed brother Zelalem (Zele). Abi, who is a a hyper-industrious hard working 12-year-old boy with two jobs, supports his poor mother and his older unemployed brother through their day to day lives.

But when their mother dies of Hepatitis B and Abi is also infected with the virus, Zele must face the big challenge of supporting his own life and keeping his younger brother alive by earning the 20,000 Ethiopian birr per month needed for his brother's medication.

Directed by Kinfe Banbu, 2014 | Ethiopia | Drama | 105 min | Amharic w/ English subtitles

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ACES

$145.00

ACES

DIRECTED BY NTANDAZO "DIDI" GCINGCA

SOUTH AFRICA / 1999 / ENGLISH / 17 MIN

SYNOPSIS

Aces is the story of a young man who fights against the battering of his mother by his drunken father. The situation escalates until Ace desperately stabs his father to death, and is sent to jail for a period of 15 years. Nine years later he is out on parole. He kills again within a day's time of his release.

DIRECTOR AND CAST

Director: Ntandazo "Didi" Gcingca

GENRES

Short Drama

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2 WEEKS IN LAGOS

$345.00

MADE IN LAGOS

DIRECTED BY KATHRYN FASEGHA

CANADA & NIGERIA/ 2019/ ROMANTIC COMEDY/ ENGLISH/ 115 MIN

SYNOPSIS

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

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100% ARABICA + ROTATING SQUARE

$245.00

100% ARABICA

DIRECTED BY MAHMOUD ZEMMOURI

FRANCE and ALGERIA / 1997 / FRENCH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES / 90 MIN

SYNOPSIS

In a housing project located on the outskirts of Paris renamed "100% Arabica" by its inhabitants, African immigrants live side by side. The residents are united by their struggle for recognition in a society where immigrants are often regarded as second class citizens. In a world of exiles, poverty is the common denominator. Against this backdrop, director Zemmouri has brought together two of the biggest and most charismatic stars of the cross-cultural musical form known as Rai, Cheb Mami and Khaled, who play the leaders of a band called Rap Oriental. As the band of musicians starts to gain in popularity, the Imam of the local mosque (Mouss) tries to destroy them by stirring up racial and cultural tensions. However, no one can stop the infectious popularity of the songs in this story of music triumphing over bigotry and violence.

DIRECTOR AND CAST

Director: Mahmoud Zemmouri

Starring: Cheb Mami

Starring: Khaled

Starring: Mouss

GENRES

BONUS

ROTATING SQUARE

DIRECTED BY AHMED HASSOUNA

EGYPT / 2002 / ARABIC WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES / 14 MIN

SYNOPSIS

Sami and his wife Sarah are packing to move to the USA where they intend to open a restaurant. Rania, Sarah's sister, goes to their house to take them to the airport, but some unexpected and unforeseeable events take place in the apartment: games of seduction, murder and dead bodies to be disposed of. A surrealist comedy by Ahmed Hassouna who belongs to a new group of young promising Egyptian filmmakers.

DIRECTOR AND CAST

Director: Ahmed Hassouna

Starring: Rasha Mahdy

Starring: Bassem Samra

GENRES

Surrealist Comedy
DVD also includes film 100% Arabica

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