New York African Film Festival April 3 to 9 2013

From a media release:

20th New York African Film Festival
April 3 - 9, 2013

NEW YORK CITY -
Presented under the banner theme Looking Back, Looking Forward: 20 Years of the New York African Film Festival, this year’s lineup will pay homage to Ousmane Sembène and the first generation of African filmmakers, while passing the baton to a new generation of African visual storytellers who continue to transform our understanding of and vision for the Continent.

In This Series

Guelwaar

Ousmane Sembène | 1992 | 115 mins
Opening Night!
Sembène’s portrait of contemporary Africa revolves around the mysterious death and disappearance of Pierre Henri Thioune, a political activist, philandering patriarch, and pillar of the local Christian community.

- Wednesday, April 03 - 7:30pm

An Evening with Moussa Touré: TGV
Moussa Touré | 1997 | 90 mins
Closing Night!
On an arduous journey between Dakar, Senegal and Conakry, Guinea on the TGV express bus, a group of passengers’ motivation for making the risky trip is slowly revealed.

Alaskaland
Chinonye Chukwu | 2012 | 75 mins
Alaska-raised Nigerian Chukwuma struggles to balance his cultural heritage with the pressures of the world around him in this gorgeous and assured debut feature.

- Thursday, April 04 - 3:30pm
- Tuesday, April 09 - 6:00pm



Burn It Up Djassa
Lonesome Solo | 2012 | 70 mins
After the deaths of his parents, Tony is dragged into the underworld of Wassakara in order to support himself—until he commits a shocking crime that irrevocably changes his life.

- Saturday, April 06 - 9:00pm

Death for Sale
Faouzi Bensaïdi | 2011 | 117 mins
Three friends decide to rob biggest jewelry store in Moroccan port city Tetouan to escape from a hopeless future. But when the plan falls apart, they must face their destinies alone.

- Saturday, April 06 -6:00pm
- Tuesday, April 09 - 1:30pm

Dolce Vita Africana
Cosima Spender | 2008 | 63 mins
U.S. Premiere!
A documentary about renowned photographer Malick Sidibe, whose iconic images captured the carefree spirit of a generation asserting their freedom after Malian independence.

- Thursday, April 04 - 6:00pm
- Tuesday, April 09 - 4:00pm



Jeans & Marto
Claudia Palazzi |Clio Sozzani | 2011 | 52 mins
A young Ethiopian escapes his arranged marriage to fulfill his dream of becoming an educated man, struggling to balance his tribe's customs and with his pursuit of knowledge.

- Friday, April 05 - 6:00pm
- Monday, April 08 - 4:00pm

Land Rush
Hugo Berkeley |Osvalde Lewat | 2012 | 58 mins
U.S. Premiere!
This investigative documentary delves into the resurgence of the hunger crisis in Africa by focusing on Sosumar, a huge collaboration between the Malian government and a group of foreign investors.

- Thursday, April 04 - 1:30pm
- Saturday, April 06 - 3:30pm

Life on Earth
Abderrahmane Sissako | 1998 | 61 mins
On the eve of the millenium, Dramane returns from France to his father’s village in Mali and, while bicycling through the surrounding fields, meets a beautiful young girl on her own journey.

- Saturday, April 06 - 1:00pm
- Monday, April 08 - 6:00pm

Nairobi Half Life
David Tosh Gitonga | 2012 | 96 mins
An aspiring actor moves from his home village to Nairobi to try to make it big, but finds himself drawn into a world of small time crooks and deceit in the smoky bustle of Kenya’s capital.

- Thursday, April 04 - 8:15pm
- Sunday, April 07 - 8:00pm



Ousmane Sembène All At Once
Christine Delorme | 2008 | 52 mins
This documentary about master Senegalese filmmaker Ousmane Sembène moves past his image as a politically committed artist into his rarely-examined private and family life.

- Wednesday, April 03 - 6:00pm
- Monday, April 08 - 2:00pm

Stones in the Sun
Patricia Benoit | 2012 | 95 mins
The paths of three pairs of Haitian refugees intersect in 1980s New York City; they must confront the disturbing truth of their pasts as the history of their interlocked lives is slowly revealed.

- Friday, April 05 - 1:30pm
- Sunday, April 07 - 1:00pm

Toussaint
Philippe Niang | 2011 | 180 mins
After seeing his slave father judged unproductive and thrown into the harbor at the age of eight, Toussaint Louverture grows up to lead the slave revolt that results in the independence of Haiti.

- Wednesday, April 03 - 2:00pm
- Sunday, April 07 - 3:30pm

Virgin Margarida
Licínio Azevedo | 2012 | 90 mins
Licinio Azevedo draws on the stories of women who endured Mozambican "re-education camps" in this inspiring elegy to the insurgent spirit of women across nations, histories and cultures.

- Friday, April 05 - 3:30pm
- Monday, April 08 - 8:30pm

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