DC African Events Calendar!

Facebook Event Link!
Stop by the Blagden Alley 3.00 - 6.00pm for our Spring African Cuisine Tasting

Enjoy ... Delicious West-African Dishes (The DMV's best Jollof Rice, Suya, Kelewele, Fufu, Spinach Stew, Fried Yams, Pepper Soup, Waakye, Red Red, and our delicious Jerk Wings).

Free Entry by RSVP.
$20 - 5 samples of choice
$35 - 8 samples of choice + to go container.

Facebook event link!
Sitali follows in the tradition of visionaries whose music is at once explosive, provocative, emotional, and soaring under its own banner. It would be easy to dub his work "folk-rock” - and him a “singer-songwriter" - for the sake of the argument, but with a repertoire of sublime tracks that tinker with everything from Delta blues to country to funk to soul to punk rock, it wouldn’t do him justice. A mighty lyricist and a seasoned performer, he fiercely resides in a category all his own, evoking the legends that rocked, crooned, and strummed their way into his inimitable aesthetic.

New African Film Festival (15th edition)
THE BURIAL OF KODJO (Ghana/USA) - event and ticket link
The feature debut of Brooklyn-based Ghanaian musician Samuel "Blitz" Bazawule (known by his stage name, Blitz the Ambassador), THE BURIAL OF KOJO follows the story of Esi (Ama K. Abebrese, BEASTS OF NO NATION), as she recounts her childhood and the tumultuous relationship between her father, Kojo (Joseph Otsiman, THE CURSED ONES), and her uncle, Kwabena (Kobina Amissah-Sam, BEASTS OF NO NATION). When Kwabena and Kojo embark on an illegal mining expedition together, Kojo goes missing, presumably trapped in the mineshaft. After the police are unable to find him, young Esi sets out on a magical adventure to find her father — but will she be too late? Visually stunning and narratively daring, THE BURIAL OF KOJO is produced by Terrence Nance (AN OVERSIMPLIFICATION OF HER BEAUTY, RANDOM ACTS OF FLYNESS) and Abebrese, and executive-produced by actor and activist Jesse Williams (GREY'S ANATOMY). Winner, Best Narrative Feature (World Cinema), 2018 Urbanworld Film Festival; Official Selection, 2018 Film Africa Film Festival. DIR/SCR/PROD Sam Blitz Bazawule; PROD Ama K. Abebrese, Terence Nance. Ghana/U.S., 2018, color, 100 min. In English and Twi with English subtitles. NOT RATED

No AFI Member passes accepted.

Run Time: 100 Minutes
Genre: Drama
Opening Date: Thursday, March 07, 2019

Facebook Event Link!
DC-based Ethio-jazz combo Feedel Band is best known for evoking the funky, minor-chord, ’70s-era East African music collected on the infamous Ethiopiques compilation series as well as exploring new unchartered musical territories. They hold down a monthly residency at DC’s premier global music venue Bossa Bistro in Adams Morgan the first Thursday of every month.

New African Film Festival (15th edition)
DEEP END (S. Africa) - event and ticket link
Special Features: U.S. Premiere
This heartwarming South African spin on BEND IT LIKE BECKHAM substitutes surfing for soccer to explore the coming-of-age journey of Sunitha Patel (Carishma Basday), a young woman from a traditional Gujarat family in Durban who aspires to be a surf champion. Surfing is simply not acceptable for a good Indian girl of marrying age, but on the beaches of Durban, Sunitha discovers a passion for the waves that she cannot ignore. Challenging expectations and bucking the norms she was raised with, Sunitha must find a way to take her own path. Official Selection, 2018 Durban International Film Festival. DIR/SCR Eubulus Timothy; PROD Jacintha Timothy. South Africa, 2018, color, 90 min. In English. NOT RATED

No AFI Member passes accepted.

Run Time: 90 Minutes
Genre: Sports, drama
Opening Date: Friday, March 08, 2019

New African Film Festival (15th edition)
NIGERIAN PRINCE (Nigeria) - event and ticket link
When troubled Nigerian-American teenager Eze (Antonio J. Bell) is sent away to his mother's native Nigeria against his will, he quickly finds himself entangled in a dangerous web of scams and corruption, with his magnetic con-artist cousin Pius (Chinaza Uche) as his guide. This electric debut feature from director/writer Faraday Okoro seamlessly blends thrilling sequences of elaborate deception and dramatic tension with surprising moments of humor, offering a snapshot of a world not often seen on film and introducing the reality behind all-too-familiar junk-mail scams. Okoro's film, anchored by uniformly strong performances, breathes cinematic life into characters that have previously only lurked in the shadows of the American imagination. Official Selection, 2018 Tribeca Film Festival. (Note adapted from Tribeca Film Festival.) DIR/SCR/PROD Faraday Okoro; SCR Andrew Long; PROD Oscar Hernandez. U.S./Nigeria, 2018, color, 104 min. In English and Ibo with English subtitles. NOT RATED

No AFI Member passes accepted.

Run Time: 104 Minutes
Genre: Crime thriller
Opening Date: Friday, March 08, 2019

Event & Ticket Link! - $25Akua Allrich is a local musical treasure with a massive stage personality and vocal style that is fluid and ever evolving. Her musical roots run deep into blues, soul, and rhythm and blues, with a clear grounding in jazz and pan-African music. She sings in many languages, including Portuguese, French, Spanish, English, Xhosa, and Twi. Given her ability to capture the essence of a broad range of musical genres, Allrich is often compared to legendary artists such as Oscar Brown, Jr., Miriam Makeba, and Nina Simone. Akua will honor both female luminaries in this evening’s program.

New African Film Festival (15th edition)
FAREWELL ELLA BELLA (South Africa) - event and ticket link
Special Features: U.S. Premiere
Boasting an all-female production team, Lwazi Mvusi's directorial debut follows Ella (Jay Anstey), a 24-year-old woman coping with the death of her alcoholic father. At her father's cremation, Ella reconnects with her freewheeling musician godfather, Neo (Sello Maake Ka-Ncube), who gives her a glimpse of something beyond the suffocating life she has led in the small town of Beaufort West. Ella decides that she will bury her father's ashes at her childhood home in Johannesburg and that Neo will take her there. And so, the two set out across the Karoo in Neo's beloved old BMW, meeting various characters along the way. As the landscape changes, so their relationship deepens, and they come to realize how much they need each other and how imperative it is that they exorcise the ghosts of their past. The result is a captivating coming-of-age tale for both Ella and Neo as they follow the long, open freeways across the country, and find maturity within themselves. Official Selection, 2018 Durban and Africa in Motion film festivals. (Note adapted from Durban International Film Festival.) DIR/SCR Lwazi Mvusi; PROD Tsholo Mashile. South Africa, 2018, color, 80 min. In English. NOT RATED

No AFI Member passes accepted.

Run Time: 80 Minutes
Genre: Coming-of-age
Opening Date: Saturday, March 09, 2019

New African Film Festival (15th edition)
WAHENGA (Tanzania) - event and ticket link
Special Features: U.S. Premiere
[THE ANCESTORS]
WAHENGA follows John Kitime, a Tanzanian musician now in his 60s, as he sets out on a mission to put together an all-star band from the old days to revive the classic sound of Zilipendwa music. Along the way, he meets the people who played key roles in the music scene of Tanzania during the struggle for independence and the nation's formative years under the first president, Julius K. Nyerere. As Kitime plays with the band, spends time with musicians and digitizes reel-to-reel tapes from the 1960s and '70s, he reveals a fascinating and little-known story about the power of music to bring together a people and a nation. Official Selection, 2018 Zanzibar and Film Africa film festivals. (Note adapted from The Tanzania Heritage Project.) DIR/SCR/PROD Rebecca Corey, Amil Shivji. Tanzania, 2018, color, 93 min. In Swahili with English subtitles. NOT RATED

No AFI Member passes accepted.

Run Time: 93 Minutes
Genre: Music
Opening Date: Saturday, March 09, 2019

New African Film Festival (15th edition)
MERCY OF THE JUNGLE (Rwanda) - event and ticket link
Set in 1998 at the outset of the Second Congo War, Rwandan director Joël Karekezi's (IMBABAZI: THE PARDON) second feature is a thrilling road movie about a pair of Rwandan soldiers navigating both wilderness and personal existential crises while lost behind enemy lines between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. When experienced soldier Sergeant Xavier (Marc Zinga, DHEEPAN, THE UNKNOWN GIRL) and fresh recruit Private Faustin (Stéphane Bak, ELLE) are accidentally left behind by their battalion just as Congolese militia begin swarming the area, they only have each other. As they embark on an odyssey through a hostile landscape teeming with enemy patrols, wildlife and mercenary mining operations, the men must learn to rely on each other's very different skill sets if they are to survive. Winner, Silver Hugo, New Directors Competition, 2018 Chicago International Film festival; Official Selection, 2018 Toronto International Film Festival. (Note adapted from Toronto International Film Festival.) DIR/SCR Joël Karekezi; SCR Casey Schroen; PROD Aurélien Bodinaux. Rwanda/Belgium/France, 2018, color, 91 min. In French and Swahili with English subtitles. NOT RATED

No AFI Member passes accepted.

Run Time: 91 Minutes
Genre: War drama
Opening Date: Saturday, March 09, 2019

New African Film Festival (15th edition)
OUAGA GIRLS (Burkina Faso) - event and ticket link
In her first feature-length documentary, Theresa Traoré Dahlberg follows a courageous group of young women studying at an all-female school for auto mechanics in Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou. In a country with youth unemployment at 52 percent, jobs are a hot-button issue. These young women are in the middle of a crucial point in life when their dreams, hopes and ambitions are confronted with society's fears and expectations about what a woman should be. Covering the students' last years at school, Dahlberg crafts a coming-of-age film which both reflects on Burkina Faso's violent past and present and tells a story of the next generation with warmth, laughs, heartbreak and depth. Official Selection, 2017 Göteborg, Visions du Réel, IDFA and Carthage film festivals; 2018 New York African Film Festival. (Note adapted from Taskovski Films.) DIR/SCR Theresa Traoré Dahlberg; PROD David Herdies. Burkina Faso/France/Sweden, 2017, color, 83 min. In Mooré and French with English subtitles. NOT RATED

No AFI Member passes accepted.

Run Time: 83 Minutes
Genre: Documentary
Opening Date: Sunday, March 10, 2019

New African Film Festival (15th edition)
WHISPERING TRUTH TO POWER (S. Africa) - event and ticket link
After successfully challenging President Zuma for illegal use of state funds, South Africa's Public Protector, Thuli Madonsela, faces the biggest challenge of her career: investigating — amid protests, death threats and legal challenges — the alleged systematic takeover of the government by a private family in cahoots with the president. But how does one weigh the importance of fighting government corruption against the larger moral crime of continued inequality? This documentary captures the tense story of Madonsela's final year in public office as she attempts to bring justice to ordinary citizens. Winner, Special Jury Prize, 2018 Hot Docs. (Note adapted from Rushlake Media.) DIR/SCR/PROD Shameela Seedat; PROD François Verster, Neil Brandt, Milan Collins, Brechtje Smidt. South Africa, 2018, color, 87 min. In English. NOT RATED

No AFI Member passes accepted.

Run Time: 87 Minutes
Genre: Documentary
Opening Date: Sunday, March 10, 2019

New African Film Festival (15th edition)
AKASHA (Sudan, 2018) - event and ticket link
Adnan is a Sudanese revolutionary who is considered a war hero. His love for his AK-47 is matched only by his feelings for Lina, his long-suffering sweetheart. When Adnan is late to return to his military unit after his leave, the army commander launches a kasha: the rounding up and arresting of truant soldiers. Adnan is caught and makes a run for it, with pacifist Absi in tow. The two unlikely friends plot ways to reunite Adnan with his two loves while avoiding their fellow soldiers. Director/writer Hajooj Kuka (BEATS OF THE ANTONOV) takes Jean-Luc Godard's famous adage to its logical extreme with a hilarious love triangle between a girl, a man and his gun, creating perhaps the first-ever stoner comedy to explore life and ideology in rebel-held areas of Sudan. Official Selection, 2018 Venice, Toronto and AFI FEST film festivals. (Note adapted from Big World Cinema.) DIR/SCR/PROD Hajooj Kuka; PROD Steven Markovitz. Sudan/South Africa/Germany/Qatar, 2018, color, 78 min. In Arabic with English subtitles. NOT RATED

No AFI Member passes accepted.

Run Time: 78 Minutes
Genre: Romantic comedy
Opening Date: Sunday, March 10, 2019

New African Film Festival (15th edition)
KETEKE (Ghana) - event and ticket link
It's the 1980s in rural Ghana, and Atswei (Lydia Forson) is heavily pregnant and desperate to get to Ateke to deliver her baby. But when she and husband Boi (Adjetey Anang, POTATO POTAHTO) miss the morning train — the only means of transport to the city — the hapless couple are left stranded in the blazing sun with only Boi's boombox for encouragement. A madcap race against time follows in this colorful screwball comedy, with wry but affectionate nods to Ghanaian traditions and gender dynamics. Accra-based band Worlasi provides the kinetic heartbeat to this impressive debut from Peter Sedufia, one of the shining lights of Ghana's vibrant contemporary film scene. (Note adapted from Film Africa.) Winner, Special Jury Prize, 2018 Luxor African Film Festival; Official Selection, 2017 Film Africa, 2018 Africa in Motion, New York African film festivals, 2019 FESPACO Film Festival. DIR/SCR/PROD Peter Sedufia; PROD Manaa Abdallah. Ghana, 2017, color, 98 min. In English. NOT RATED

No AFI Member passes accepted.

Run Time: 98 Minutes
Genre: Comedy
Opening Date: Sunday, March 10, 2019

New African Film Festival (15th edition)
SKULLS OF MY PEOPLE (Namibia) - event and ticket link
This powerful documentary chronicles the struggle of the Herero tribe as they fight for the return of the skulls of their people taken by the Germans for racial scientific profiling after the genocide of 1904. One of the smallest tribes in Namibia, the Herero demand the findings of those tests along with the return of the skulls. The tribe will stop at nothing to receive their reparations and see justice served in their lifetimes. Official Selection, 2018 Zanzibar International Film Festival. DIR/SCR/PROD Vincent Moloi; PROD Makgano Mamabolo, Lodi Matsetela. Namibia/South Africa/Germany, 2016, color, 69 min. NOT RATED

No AFI Member passes accepted.

Run Time: 69 Minutes
Genre: Documentary
Opening Date: Monday, March 11, 2019

New African Film Festival (15th edition)
DEAR SON (Tunisia) - event and ticket link
[WELDI]
Co-produced by Belgian auteurs Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne (TWO DAYS ONE NIGHT, THE UNKNOWN GIRL), Mohamed Ben Attia's (HEDI) heart-rending drama debuted at the 2018 Cannes Directors' Fortnight. Riadh (Mohamed Dhrif) is about to retire from his work as a forklift operator at the port of Tunis. The life he shares with his wife Nazli (Mouna Mejri) revolves around their only son, Sami (Imen Cherif), who is preparing for his high school exams. The boy's repeated migraine attacks are a cause of much worry to his parents. But when he finally seems to be getting better, Sami suddenly disappears… Official Selection, 2018 Cannes, Karlovy Vary, London, Chicago and Stockholm film festivals. (Note adapted from Luxbox.) DIR/SCR Mohamed Ben Attia; PROD Dora Bouchoucha, Luc Dardenne, Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Nadim Cheikhrouha. Tunisia/Belgium/France/Qatar, 2018, color, 104 min. In Arabic with English subtitles. NOT RATED

No AFI Member passes accepted.

Run Time: 104 Minutes
Genre: Drama
Opening Date: Monday, March 11, 2019

New African Film Festival (15th edition)
FAREWELL ELLA BELLA (South Africa) - event and ticket link
Special Features: U.S. Premiere
Boasting an all-female production team, Lwazi Mvusi's directorial debut follows Ella (Jay Anstey), a 24-year-old woman coping with the death of her alcoholic father. At her father's cremation, Ella reconnects with her freewheeling musician godfather, Neo (Sello Maake Ka-Ncube), who gives her a glimpse of something beyond the suffocating life she has led in the small town of Beaufort West. Ella decides that she will bury her father's ashes at her childhood home in Johannesburg and that Neo will take her there. And so, the two set out across the Karoo in Neo's beloved old BMW, meeting various characters along the way. As the landscape changes, so their relationship deepens, and they come to realize how much they need each other and how imperative it is that they exorcise the ghosts of their past. The result is a captivating coming-of-age tale for both Ella and Neo as they follow the long, open freeways across the country, and find maturity within themselves. Official Selection, 2018 Durban and Africa in Motion film festivals. (Note adapted from Durban International Film Festival.) DIR/SCR Lwazi Mvusi; PROD Tsholo Mashile. South Africa, 2018, color, 80 min. In English. NOT RATED

No AFI Member passes accepted.

Run Time: 80 Minutes
Genre: Coming-of-age
Opening Date: Saturday, March 09, 2019

New African Film Festival (15th edition)
FORTUNA (Ethiopia) - event and ticket link
Special Features: U.S. Premiere
Winner of the Crystal Bear and Grand Prix in the Generation 14plus section of the 2018 Berlinale, award-winning Swiss screenwriter and photographer Germinal Roaux's stunning black-and-white refugee drama follows the eponymous Fortuna (Kidist Siyum Beza, LAMB), a 14-year-old Ethiopian girl waiting for news of her parents, from whom she has not heard since they crossed the Mediterranean Sea to the shores of Lampedusa, Italy. Together with other refugees, she is given shelter for the winter in a Catholic monastery in the Swiss Alps. This is where Fortuna meets Kabir, a 26-year-old refugee with whom she falls desperately in love. Their relationship develops in secret until the day Kabir mysteriously disappears following a police raid. Multi-award-winning Swiss actor Bruno Ganz plays a key role as Brother Jean, a monk whose very concept of Christian charity is challenged by Fortuna's complex situation. Winner, Crystal Bear and Grand Prix for Best Film (Generation 14plus), 2018 Berlinale; Official Selection, 2018 Berlin, Jerusalem and Locarno film festivals. DIR/SCR Germinal Roaux; PROD Ruth Waldburger. Ethiopia/Switzerland/Belgium, 2018, b&w, 106 min. In French and Amharic with English subtitles. NOT RATED

No AFI Member passes accepted.

Run Time: 106 Minutes
Genre: Drama, coming-of-age
Opening Date: Tuesday, March 12, 2019

New African Film Festival (15th edition)
DIVINE WIND (Algeria) - event and ticket link
Special Features: U.S. Premiere
[RIH RABANI]
Shot in starkly beautiful black and white, DIVINE WIND follows a young man, Amine (Mohamed Oughlis), and an enigmatic woman, Nour (Sarah Layssac), who are called upon by extremists to perform an armed action against an oil refinery in the Algerian Sahara. Although they have no prior connection, the duo become inexorably and intensely linked. As their bond deepens, their mission is put at risk. The latest from veteran Algerian director Merzak Allouache (EL TAAIB, HARRAGAS, MADAME COURAGE), who first bowed at Cannes in 1976 with his comedic neorealist feature debut OMAR GATLATO, DIVINE WIND continues his exploration of the complex social fabric of Algeria and the ongoing ties — and frequently the tensions — the North African nation has with its former colonist occupier, France. Official Selection, 2018 Toronto, Marrakech, El Gouna and Geneva film festivals. (Note adapted from Toronto International Film Festival.) DIR/SCR/PROD Merzak Allouache; PROD Bahia Allouache. Algeria/France/Qatar/Lebanon, 2018, b&w, 96 min. In Arabic with English subtitles. NOT RATED

No AFI Member passes accepted.

Run Time: 96 Minutes
Genre: Drama
Opening Date: Tuesday, March 12, 2019

New African Film Festival (15th edition)
AKASHA (Sudan, 2018) - event and ticket link
Adnan is a Sudanese revolutionary who is considered a war hero. His love for his AK-47 is matched only by his feelings for Lina, his long-suffering sweetheart. When Adnan is late to return to his military unit after his leave, the army commander launches a kasha: the rounding up and arresting of truant soldiers. Adnan is caught and makes a run for it, with pacifist Absi in tow. The two unlikely friends plot ways to reunite Adnan with his two loves while avoiding their fellow soldiers. Director/writer Hajooj Kuka (BEATS OF THE ANTONOV) takes Jean-Luc Godard's famous adage to its logical extreme with a hilarious love triangle between a girl, a man and his gun, creating perhaps the first-ever stoner comedy to explore life and ideology in rebel-held areas of Sudan. Official Selection, 2018 Venice, Toronto and AFI FEST film festivals. (Note adapted from Big World Cinema.) DIR/SCR/PROD Hajooj Kuka; PROD Steven Markovitz. Sudan/South Africa/Germany/Qatar, 2018, color, 78 min. In Arabic with English subtitles. NOT RATED

No AFI Member passes accepted.

Run Time: 78 Minutes
Genre: Romantic comedy
Opening Date: Sunday, March 10, 2019

New African Film Festival (15th edition)
WE COULD BE HEROES (Morocco) - event and ticket link
Special Features: U.S. Premiere
In the run-up to the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games, Azzedine Nouiri, the world champion in seated shot put, inspires his childhood friend Youssef to take on the challenge of qualifying for the Games despite their lack of means and formal training. Through their inspiring friendship, WE COULD BE HEROES narrates the struggles of outcasts longing to conquer the extraordinary in order to finally have the same rights and opportunities as ordinary men at home, in Morocco. Winner, Best International Documentary, 2018 Hot Docs. (Note courtesy of Cinetelefilms.) DIR/SCR Hind Bensari; PROD Vibeke Lokkeberg. Morocco/Denmark/Tunisia/Brazil, 2018, color, 79 min. In Arabic with English subtitles. NOT RATED

No AFI Member passes accepted.

Run Time: 79 Minutes
Genre: Documentary - sports
Opening Date: Wednesday, March 13, 2019

New African Film Festival (15th edition)
THE ROAD TO SUNRISE (Malawi) - event and ticket link
Special Features: 2018 Oscar® Selection, Malawi
Exploited by men and ridiculed by the world, sex workers Rubia and Watipa learn to rely on each other as they struggle to survive in the rough, unforgiving townships of Blantyre, Malawi. When Rubia begins an unlikely love affair with a naive young man that leads to a tragic confrontation, the women begin their uncertain journey toward self-emancipation. THE ROAD TO SUNRISE is director Shemu Joyah's (THE LAST FISHING BOAT, SEASONS OF A LIFE) third feature and Malawi's first official Oscar® entry. Winner, Special Recognition Award for a Narrative Feature Film, 2018 Silicon Valley African Film Festival; Official Selection, 2018 African Diaspora International Film Festival. DIR/SCR/PROD Shemu Joyah. Malawi, 2017, color, 123 min. In English and Chichewa with English subtitles. NOT RATED

No AFI Member passes accepted.

Run Time: 123 Minutes
Genre: Drama
Opening Date: Wednesday, March 13, 2019

New African Film Festival (15th edition)
OUAGA GIRLS (Burkina Faso) - event and ticket link
In her first feature-length documentary, Theresa Traoré Dahlberg follows a courageous group of young women studying at an all-female school for auto mechanics in Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou. In a country with youth unemployment at 52 percent, jobs are a hot-button issue. These young women are in the middle of a crucial point in life when their dreams, hopes and ambitions are confronted with society's fears and expectations about what a woman should be. Covering the students' last years at school, Dahlberg crafts a coming-of-age film which both reflects on Burkina Faso's violent past and present and tells a story of the next generation with warmth, laughs, heartbreak and depth. Official Selection, 2017 Göteborg, Visions du Réel, IDFA and Carthage film festivals; 2018 New York African Film Festival. (Note adapted from Taskovski Films.) DIR/SCR Theresa Traoré Dahlberg; PROD David Herdies. Burkina Faso/France/Sweden, 2017, color, 83 min. In Mooré and French with English subtitles. NOT RATED

No AFI Member passes accepted.

Run Time: 83 Minutes
Genre: Documentary
Opening Date: Sunday, March 10, 2019

New African Film Festival (15th edition)
YOMEDDINE (Egypt) - event and ticket link
Special Features: 2018 Oscar® Selection, Egypt
Beshay (Rady Gamal) — a man cured of leprosy — has never left the leper colony in the Egyptian desert where he has lived since childhood. Following the death of his wife, he finally decides to go in search of his roots. With his meager possessions strapped to a donkey cart, he sets out. Quickly joined by Obama (Ahmed Abdelhafiz), the Nubian orphan he has taken under his wing, Beshay will cross Egypt and confront the world with all its sorrows, its hardships and moments of grace, in his quest for a family, a place to belong and a little humanity. Winner, François Chalais Award, 2018 Cannes Film Festival; Official Selection, 2018 London, Mill Valley and Philadelphia film festivals. (Note adapted from Strand Releasing.) DIR/SCR A.B. Shawky; PROD Dina Emam. Egypt/U.S./Austria, 2018, color, 97 min. In Arabic with English subtitles. NOT RATED

No AFI Member passes accepted.

Run Time: 97 Minutes
Genre: Drama
Opening Date: Thursday, March 14, 2019

New African Film Festival (15th edition)
OUR MADNESS (Angola/Portugal) - event and ticket link
Angolan-Portuguese filmmaker João Viana's (THE BATTLE OF TABATÔ) combines magical realism with an observant, documentary-like approach in this poetic, dreamlike tale, shot in stunning black and white. Lucy (Ernania Rainha) is confined to a psychiatric hospital in Maputo, Mozambique. While dreaming about reuniting with her war-separated family — her young son (Hanic Corio) and her husband, Pak (Pak Ndjamena) — she is accompanied by an unusual musical instrument: her hospital bed. Lucy's musicality attracts the attention of one of the nurses and, one day, her song appears on the radio. When an evangelical priest of "Rádio Moçambique" visits the hospital to listen to Lucy's song, she uses this opportunity to escape and go in search of her husband and son. Winner, Best Portuguese Feature Film, 2018 IndieLisboa Film Festival; Official Selection, 2018 Berlin, Tapei and Brussels film festivals. DIR/SCR/PROD João Viana; PROD François d'Artemare, Sol Carvalho. Mozambique/Guinea-Bissau/Qatar/France/Portugal, 2018, b&w, 90 min. In Xitswa and Swahili with English subtitles. NOT RATED

No AFI Member passes accepted.

Run Time: 90 Minutes
Genre: Drama
Opening Date: Thursday, March 14, 2019

New African Film Festival (15th edition)
VIVRE RICHE (Cote D'Ivoire) - event and ticket link
In Abidjan, the economic capital of Ivory Coast and a city in full social mutation, a group of men aged 15 to 25 spend their days running online scams, taking advantage of the wealth and loneliness of white European women. For "Rolex the Portuguese" and his friends, it's the easiest way to buy expensive watches, classy clothes and fancy shoes, enjoy the city's crazy nightlife and, ultimately, collect on the "colonial debt." Years of civil war and economic crisis have left these Ivorian youth disoriented, adrift in pervasive Western materialism and social media culture. The phenomenon of internet fraud, explains the protagonist, has become a way of life, a branch to hang onto. Which doesn't mean they don't fear and respect their elders — they'll even make traditional sacrifices to their ancestors for help in scamming their "clients." In intimate and striking vérité, Joël Akafou portrays a disarmingly lucid new generation of West Africans. Official Selection, 2017 Visions du Réel, 2018 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival. (Note adapted from Hot Docs.) DIR/SCR Joël Akafou; PROD Florent Coulon, Chrisrine Pirreaux, Faissol Gnonlonfin, Berni Goldblat. Ivory Coast/France/Burkina Faso/Belgium, 2017, color, 53 min. In French and Dioula with English subtitles. NOT RATED

No AFI Member passes accepted.

Run Time: 53 Minutes
Genre: Documentary
Opening Date: Friday, March 15, 2019

New African Film Festival (15th edition)
FOUND IN A DREAM (Ethiopia/Australia) - event and ticket link
Set in Australia and Ethiopia, FOUND IN A DREAM explores the journey of a young adopted Ethiopian-Australian man struggling to find his path. Abeselom (Sammi Obamah) is a drug dealer living in Melbourne. Experiencing isolation and navigating between doing what is right and doing what he must to survive, Abeselom's world is changed when he meets a young nurse named Netsanet (Netsanet Tefera). FOUND IN A DREAM is about love, culture and, ultimately, finding comfort within connection. Official Selection, 2018 Pan African and San Francisco Black film festivals. (Note adapted from Poets' Lane Film Productions.) DIR/SCR/PROD Helen Kassa. Ethiopia/Australia, 2018, color, 97 min. In English and Amharic with English subtitles. NOT RATED

No AFI Member passes accepted.

Run Time: 97 Minutes
Genre: Romance drama
Opening Date: Friday, March 15, 2019

Venue & Ticket Link! - $25/$30

Noura Mint Seymali’s quartet is built around a deliberate return to Moorish roots, led by the raw music of the azawan, a word in Hassaniya that refers to the ensemble of traditional instruments in Moorish culture; the ardine, tidinit, guitar, t'beul. With a sound described as a molten form of Moorish psychedelic rock, Saharan funk and even “future pop”, this band has been gaining international critical attention with its chart-topping albums and electrifying live performances.

New African Film Festival (15th edition)
KASALA (Nigeria) - event and ticket link
Ema Edosio's debut is a vibrant and hilarious romp through the mean streets of Lagos, littered with sidesplitting lyrical pidgin and a firm hand in the new direction of Nigerian cinema. When a joy ride goes very wrong, fast-talking teenager Tunji and his friends must scramble to raise the money to fix their stern uncle Taju's beloved car. With just five hours before Taju gets off work, the four young men resort to every infamous Las Gidi street hustle they know. Through their exploits, we see the strong values of friendship, tenacity and resourcefulness seldom associated with life in the slums. Official Selection, 2018 Paris and Toronto Nollywood film festivals; Zanzibar, Zimbabwe, Black Star and Film Africa film festivals. (Note adapted from Film Africa.) DIR Ema Edosio; SCR Temi Sodipo; PROD Eric Maydieu. Nigeria, 2018, color, 84 min. In Pidgin English with English subtitles. NOT RATED

No AFI Member passes accepted.

Run Time: 84 Minutes
Genre: Drama, coming-of-age
Opening Date: Saturday, March 16, 2019

New African Film Festival (15th edition)
THE LOST CAFE (Nigeria/Norway) - event and ticket link
Kenneth Gyang's (CONFUSION NA WA) second feature is the first ever Nigerian-Norwegian co-production, and tells the story of Ose (Tunde Aladese), a young Nigerian woman who decides to pursue her dream career as a filmmaker in Norway. Torn between two worlds, with family issues at home and problems settling in, Ose meets the strange, half-blind owner of a quaint coffee shop that serves the best coffee in the world and begins to find the most unexpected answers to her problems. Winner, Audience Award, 2017 Africa International Film Festival; Winner, Golden Palm Award for Best Narrative Feature, 2018 Mexico International Film Festival. DIR Kenneth Gyang; SCR Ifesinachi Okoli-Okpagu; SCR/PROD Regina Idu Udalor. Nigeria/Norway, 2017, color, 76 min. In English and Norwegian with English subtitles. NOT RATED

No AFI Member passes accepted.

Run Time: 76 Minutes
Genre: Comedy-drama
Opening Date: Saturday, March 16, 2019

New African Film Festival (15th edition)
LIFE IS FARE (Eritrea/USA) - event and ticket link
Special Features: Q&A with filmmaker Sephora Woldu at both screenings
LIFE IS FARE explores three wildly different perspectives on the East African nation of Eritrea. The film's premise follows Sephora (director Sephora Woldu, making her feature film debut), an idealistic young Eritrean-American pitching a well-meaning but ludicrous film idea to her traditional mother. The film concerns Haile, a man who fled their home country and ended up in San Francisco. As a recently arrived immigrant, Haile is terribly homesick for his native Eritrea, but will not admit it because he is uncomfortable speaking ill of the country; and he isn't ready to admit hard truths about his culture and himself. LIFE IS FARE is a cross-cultural analogy challenging how patriotism and nationalism are practiced by people of a country and is inspired by current Eritrean and Ethiopian migration journeys. Winner, Emerging Filmmaker Award, 2018 Indie Memphis Film Festival; Official Selection, 2018 Brooklyn, Silicon Valley African and San Francisco Black film festivals. (Note adapted from Abyssurdian Productions.) DIR/SCR/PROD Sephora Woldu; PROD Richard Alex Durante, Marshall Moses, Larry Madrigal, Kagure Kabue. Eritrea/U.S., 2018, color, 61 min. In English and Tigrinya with English subtitles. NOT RATED

No AFI Member passes accepted.

Run Time: 61 Minutes
Genre: Comedy-drama
Opening Date: Saturday, March 16, 2019

New African Film Festival (15th edition)
PILI (Tanzania) - event and ticket link
In this BAFTA-nominated first feature, Pili (Bello Rashid) lives in rural Tanzania, working in the fields for less than $1 a day to feed her two children and struggling to manage her HIV-positive status in secret. When she is offered the chance to rent a sought-after market stall, Pili is desperate to have it. But with only two days to get the deposit together, Pili is forced to make increasingly difficult decisions with ever-deepening consequences. How much will she risk to change her life? A unique collaboration between the filmmakers and the women who star in the film, the story is based on their stories and shot on location in Tanzania. Nominee, Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer, 2018 BAFTA Awards. (Note adapted from Studio Soho International.) DIR/SCR Leanne Welham; SCR/PROD Sophie Harman. UK/Tanzania, 2017, color, 83 min. In Swahili with English subtitles. NOT RATED

No AFI Member passes accepted.

Run Time: 83 Minutes
Genre: Drama
Opening Date: Sunday, March 17, 2019

New African Film Festival (15th edition)
DJAMBAR, SEMBENE THE UNSUBMISSIVE (Senegal) - event and ticket link
[DJAMBAR, SEMBENE L'INSOUMIS]
This important tribute to one of Africa's most visionary directors, film lovers, filmmakers and journalists takes us on a journey through the life and work of the late Senegalese director Ousmane Sembene, who died in 2007. Set partly on Yoff's Beach, a fishing village where Sembene lived, this potent documentary includes excerpts from his films and written texts, plus clips of his teaching the Art of Cinema in Cannes in 2005 and interviews featuring friends and admirers like Danny Glover, Charles Burnett and Haile Gerima. Official Selection, 2017 FESPACO, 2018 Durban International Film Festival, 2019 Pan African Film and Arts Festival. (Note adapted from the Pan African Film and Arts Festival.) DIR/SCR/PROD Eric Mbappé Bodoulé Sosso; SCR Yves Jezequel. Senegal/Cameroon/France, 2017, color, 85 min. In English and French with English subtitles. NOT RATED

No AFI Member passes accepted.

Run Time: 85 Minutes
Genre: Documentary - biography
Opening Date: Sunday, March 17, 2019

New African Film Festival (15th edition)
LIFE IS FARE (Eritrea/USA) - event and ticket link
Special Features: Q&A with filmmaker Sephora Woldu at both screenings
LIFE IS FARE explores three wildly different perspectives on the East African nation of Eritrea. The film's premise follows Sephora (director Sephora Woldu, making her feature film debut), an idealistic young Eritrean-American pitching a well-meaning but ludicrous film idea to her traditional mother. The film concerns Haile, a man who fled their home country and ended up in San Francisco. As a recently arrived immigrant, Haile is terribly homesick for his native Eritrea, but will not admit it because he is uncomfortable speaking ill of the country; and he isn't ready to admit hard truths about his culture and himself. LIFE IS FARE is a cross-cultural analogy challenging how patriotism and nationalism are practiced by people of a country and is inspired by current Eritrean and Ethiopian migration journeys. Winner, Emerging Filmmaker Award, 2018 Indie Memphis Film Festival; Official Selection, 2018 Brooklyn, Silicon Valley African and San Francisco Black film festivals. (Note adapted from Abyssurdian Productions.) DIR/SCR/PROD Sephora Woldu; PROD Richard Alex Durante, Marshall Moses, Larry Madrigal, Kagure Kabue. Eritrea/U.S., 2018, color, 61 min. In English and Tigrinya with English subtitles. NOT RATED

No AFI Member passes accepted.

Run Time: 61 Minutes
Genre: Comedy-drama
Opening Date: Saturday, March 16, 2019

Event Link! - $20

Fronted by Nigerian singer Eno Williams, Ibibio Sound Machine is a clash of African and electronic elements inspired in equal measure by the golden era of West-African funk & disco and modern post-punk & electro.

The band’s self-titled debut album was released in 2014 on Soundway Records. The follow-up, ‘Uyai’, was released in 2017 on Merge Records.

Ibibio Sound Machine is Eno Williams (vocals), Alfred Kari Bannerman (guitar), Anselmo Netto (percussion), Jose Joyette (drums), Derrick McIntyre (bass), Tony Hayden (trombone, synth), Scott Baylis (trumpet, synth), and Max Grunhard (saxophone, synth).

Event & Ticket Link! - $11.35 (fee included)
Burkinabè Bounty, a documentary from Cultures of Resistance Films, chronicles agricultural resistance and the fight for food sovereignty in Burkina Fasoa small, landlocked country in West Africa. Showcasing activist farmers, students, artists, and leaders in the local Slow Food movement, the film looks at how the Burkinabè people are reclaiming their land and defending their traditions against the encroachment of corporate agriculture. From women gaining economic independence by selling "dolo" beer, to youth marching in the streets against companies like Monsanto, to hip-hop musicians reviving the revolutionary spirit of Thomas Sankara, Burkinabè Bounty shows the creative tactics people are using to take back control of their food, seeds, and future.

Burkinabè Bounty Awards:

PALESTINE / GAZA, Special Jury Prize, Jerusalem International Film Festival, 2018
BANGLADESH / DHAKA, Documentary Award (Special Mention), Dhaka International Film Festival, 2019

Event & Ticket Link! - $25
Home. Where the heart is. For Bombino and most other Tuareg, there’s only one place that can be. In recent years, the rest of the world has largely written off that home as a hot and savage wasteland, a bolt hole for religious extremists and terrorists, a geopolitical video nasty with little to offer apart from the oil, gold and phosphates that lie beneath its soil. But Bombino would like us to take a closer look and think again. His feelingsare beautifully summed up in the song “Tehigren”(‘Trees’), from his brand new album ‘Deran’: ‘Do not forget the green trees / In our valleys in the Sahara / In the shade of which, / Rest the beautiful girls / Radiant and lovable’.

How to celebrate that desert home, how to protect it, develop it, unify it, respect it and, above all, never forget it, are the salient themes of ‘Deran.’They’re dressed up in ten songs of rare maturity and power that mark a turning point in the career of a guitarist and songwriter who was bornin the shade of an acacia tree about eighty miles north west of the ancient town of Agadez, and has since risen to forefront of the new Tuaregguitar generation. It’s a turning back the source of everything that makes Bombino who he is.

Facebook Event Link! 
Habtamu and friends bring their Yeneta/የ.ኔ.ታ project to the Bossa stage, jamming original Ethio-jazz-funk tunes.