Below is a list of the African/Africa-Related Films at the AFI Film Fest at the ArcLight Theatres in Hollywood that might be of interest. Again this year, AFI is sponsoring an African Showcase -- films about Africa and/or by African filmmakers or featuring African actors. If enough people support the Africa Showcase, it will be a permanent part of the AFI Film Fest.
For complete information about AFI Fest visit www.afi.com/onscreen/afifest/2007
Tickets and passes now on sale!
Online buy tickets | Buy passes -- www.afi.com/onscreen/afi.../tickets.aspx
By phone at 1-866-AFI-FEST
Or fax your order to 323.962.9931
Or stop by the box office at Rooftop Village, seventh floor of the ArcLight Cinemas parking structure
Africa Showcase & Related Films:
Clouds Over Conakry (Guinea/African Showcase)
Emergency Needs (USA/Intl Shorts Competition)
Faat Kine (Senegal/Ousmane Sembene)
Faro – Goddess of the Waters (African Showcase)
Munyurangabo (Rwanda/Intl Feature Competition)
Nosaltres (Senegal/African Showcase)
Ousmane (France, Senegal/Intl Shorts Competition)
Welcome to Nollywood (USA/African Showcase)
White Man in a Black Box (France, Namibia/Intl Shorts Competition)
____________________________
CLOUDS OVER CONAKRY
IL VA PLEUVOIR SUR CONAKRY
African Showcase, World Cinema -- Guinea, France, 2007, 115 min, 35 MM -- In French/Malinke with English subtitles
Tuesday, November 6th 9:00pm -- ArcLight Theatre 12 $11.00
Wednesday, November 7th 1:45pm -- ArcLight Theatre 14 $7.00
DIR: Cheick Fantamady Camara; CAST: Alex Ogou, Moussa Keita, Tella Kpomahou, Jeannot Coker, Fifi Dalla Kouyate, Fatoumata Diawara, Abdoulaye Diallo, Rouguiatou Camara, Kade Seck
In attendance: Cheick F. Camara
CLOUDS OVER CONAKRY takes us into urban Africa, where the new – beauty pageants, Apple laptops, recording studio, beachside bars – clashes with the old, and in Conakry, the weatherman is predicting rain.
Bangali (BB) secretly works as a cartoonist at the city paper for his girlfriend’s father, satirizing the local religious zealots. Unfortunately for BB, his father is the local imam. BB still hasn’t gotten up the nerve to tell his father what he does for a living when he learns that he has been chosen as the next imam. To make matters worse, BB is in love with a woman of whom his father does not approve.
Instead of making a romantic comedy out of this situation, Guinean director Cheick Fantamady Camara opts for a more challenging approach to his debut feature. The result is heartbreaking. Camara is a talented new African filmmaker on the rise. - Jacqueline Lyanga
__________________________
FAAT KINE
Milestones
Senegal, 2000, 118 min -- In Wolof, French with English subtitles
Saturday, November 3rd 3:15pm -- ArcLight Theatre 11 $11.00
DIR: Ousmane Sembene; CAST: Venus Seye, Mame Ndoumbé, Ndiagne Dia, Mariama Balde, Awa Sene Sarr, Tabata Ndiaye
When Kine (the marvelous Venus Seye), a gas-station manager in present-day Senegal, realizes that she is financially unable to provide for her two college-age children’s desired European travel and study, she starts to reevaluate her own life of dreams deferred and achievement denied.
She was a student once too, with aspirations of becoming a lawyer, but all that changed after an affair with a charismatic, married professor landed her shamed, pregnant, and expelled from school. Later, the father of Kine’s second illegitimate child wooed her while slowly siphoning away her life savings, landing himself in prison before their son was born. So, Kine is a survivor, of her own life and the men in it—one of a long succession of African women exploited by a callow patriarchy.
The penultimate film directed by the late Ousmane Sembene (who was 78 at the time of its release), FAAT KINE is at once an intimate, human family drama and a spry, nimble consideration of a new West Africa at odds with its colonial legacy. - Scott Foundas
______________________________
WELCOME TO NOLLYWOOD
African Showcase, World Cinema -- USA, 2007, 57 min, VIDEO
Wednesday, November 7th 7:30pm -- ArcLight Theatre 11 $11.00
Friday, November 9th 4:15pm -- ArcLight Theatre 13 $7.00
DIR: Jamie Meltzer
In attendance: Henry Rosenthal, Jamie Meltzer,
Nigeria produces 2,400 films a year - it’s the third largest producer of films worldwide. Nigerian filmmakers are not dreaming about making it big in Hollywood, they’re just picking up a camera and making a movie in Nollywood.
Nollywood director, Izu Ojukwu, learned how to make movies by building a projector from scratch. At the center of this film is the production of his epic film LAVIVA. Ojukwu employs a cast of 700 for his epic African war film, but hiring a cast and feeding them are two very different things. When there is no money to pay the “welfare” lady (catering), she simply stops making food and the actors are forced to act through their hunger. This is a lesson in guerilla filmmaking, Nigerian style.
In Nigeria, you’re not a real filmmaker until, like Chico Ejiro (aka “Mr. Prolific”) you’ve made so many films that you don’t remember the plotlines. Welcome to Nollywood. - Jacqueline Lyanga
MUNYURANGABO
Intl Feature Competition -- Rwanda, USA, 2007, 97 min, 35 MM -- In Kinyarwanda with English subtitles -- US Premiere
Thursday, November 8th 7:30pm -- ArcLight Theatre 12 $11.00
Saturday, November 10th 2:00pm -- ArcLight Theatre 12 $11.00
DIR: Lee Isaac Chung; CAST: Jeff Rutagengwa, Eric Ndorunkundiye, Jean Marie Nkurikiyinka, Jean Pierre Mulonda Harerimana, Edouard B. Uwayo
In attendance: Isaac Chung, Jenny Lund
Lee Isaac Chung, a Korean-American filmmaker working out of New York makes his feature debut with an outstanding film about two young Rwandan men – one Hutu and the other Tutsi - on a journey through Rwanda’s haunted countryside. Set in the years after the Rwandan genocide of 1994, the film opens with Ngabo (Jeff Rutagengwa) – who is named after the ancient Rwandan warrior, Munyurangabo - stealing a machete from a market. It is a purposeful act, as shortly after, Ngabo and his best friend Sangwa (Eric Ndorunkundiye) set out into the countryside to find the man who killed Ngabo’s father during the genocide. Chung and his actors – first-time actors who were also involved in writing the script – articulate the pain of memory, betrayal and loss with poignancy in this rare and moving film about the delicate ties that bind friendship and family.
__________________________
WHITE MAN IN A BLACK BOX
HOMME BLANC DANS UNE BOITE NOIRE
Intl Shorts Competition -- France, Namibia, 2007, 4 min, VIDEO -- North American Premiere
Plays in Shorts Program Two
Tuesday, November 6th 2:00pm -- ArcLight Theatre 13 $7.00
Thursday, November 8th 7:15pm -- ArcLight Theatre 13 $11.00
DIR: Jerome Jourlait
Yourself seen through the lens of a camera by young kids of Himba in north Namibia.
__________________________
OUSMANE
Intl Shorts Competition -- France, Senegal, 2006, 15 min, 35 MM -- in Wolof with English subtitles
Plays in Shorts Program One
Wednesday, November 7th 2:30pm -- ArcLight Theatre 13 $7.00
Friday, November 9th 7:30pm -- ArcLight Theatre 13 $11.00
DIR: Gaye Dyana; CAST: Abbasse Ba, Oumar Seck, Nianga Diop, El Hadj Dieng, Coly M'baye, Thierno N'diaye Doss,Yalli Diagne, Moustapha Gaye
Dakar, Senegal. Ousmane, a 7 year-old child, begs in the streets. He decides to write a letter to Santa Claus.
_______________________
FARO - GODDESS OF THE WATERS
FARO - LA REINE DES EAUX
African Showcase -- France, Canada, Mali, Burkina Faso, Germany, 2007, 96 min, 35 MM -- In Bambara with English subtitles
Wednesday, November 7th 2:30pm -- ArcLight Theatre 13 $7.00
Friday, November 9th 7:30pm -- ArcLight Theatre 13 $11.00
DIR: Salif Traore; CAST: Sotigui Kouyate, Fili Traore, Michel Mpambara, Habib Dembele, Helene M. Diarra
In attendance: Salif Traore
In this assured debut from Salif Traoré, a former assistant to Souleymane Cissé and Abderrahmane Sissako, we follow the story of an engineer who returns to his rural village in Mali many years after having been cast out for being born out of wedlock.
Zanga (Fili Traoré) returns to the village of his birth to uncover the identity of his father and initiate a waterworks project. However, the fact that his arrival coincides with the drowning of a young villager alerts the village elders, who confer and determine that Faro, the spirit who rules the waters has been angered by Zanga’s return and the only way to appease her anger is with sacrifice.
The African landscape is photographed beautifully and the script, co-written by Salif Traoré and Olivier Lorelle deftly navigates the maelstrom of modern Africa while giving voice to the power of one individual to affect change.
________________________
EMERGENCY NEEDS
Intl Shorts Competition -- USA, 2007, 7 min, Digibeta -- North American Premiere
Plays in Shorts Program Two
Tuesday, November 6th 2:00pm -- ArcLight Theatre 13 $7.00
Thursday, November 8th 7:15pm -- ArcLight Theatre 13 $11.00
DIR: Kevin Jerome Everson; CAST: Esosa Edosmwan, Mayor Carl B. Stokes
In attendance: Kevin Everson
From acclaimed filmmaker Kevin Everson comes a unique meditation on the July 1968 uprising in Cleveland Ohio and the reaction of Mayor Carl Stokes.
________________________
NOSALTRES
African Showcase, World Cinema
Senegal, 2007, 71 min, VIDEO -- In Wolof, Spanish, French with English subtitles -- North American Premiere
Friday, November 2nd 7:15pm -- ArcLight Theatre 11 $11.00
Saturday, November 3rd 1:00pm -- ArcLight Theatre 11 $11.00
DIR: Moussa Toure
In attendance: Moussa Toure
One man has paid 750 euros to be smuggled out of Africa, while another has lived in the small town in Catalonia, all of his life: what do these two men say to each other as they pass each other on the street each morning? Nothing.
Award-winning Senegalese filmmaker, Moussa Touré, takes us to the Catalan village of Saint Feliu where immigrants from Mali have changed the cultural makeup of the village. There is no communication between the two communities; they are like ghosts to each other. Touré steps in with his camera and forces change. Through his interviews with the Malian and Catalan residents of Saint Feliu, Touré forces them to confront their ignorance, their prejudices and their fears.
When a number of African men wash up on a beach populated by sunbathing Catalans, the Catalans quickly grab their beach towels and wrap them around the shivering men, and Touré perfectly captures the humanity of a simple gesture of kindness. - Jacqueline Lyanga
Other films that might be of interest:
PUBLIC ENEMY: WELCOME TO THE TERRORDOME
(USA, 2007, 100 mins) -- Intl Documentary Competition
Wednesday, November 7th 10:30pm
Saturday, November 10th 12:30pm
Both screenings will be $11 in ArcLight Theatre 10
In attendance: Robert Patton-Spruill, Walt Leaphar, Patricia Moreno
In the 1980s, Public Enemy changed the music industry and American culture with its signature mix of fiery progressive politics and bangin' beats. Making the most of his amazing access to Chuck D and Flava Flav, director Robert Patton-Spruill recounts the group's rise to success while tracking its continuing impact. Featuring interviews with the Beastie Boys, Tom Morello (Audioslave, Rage Against the Machine), Henry Rollins, Talib Kweli and Jonathan Davis of Korn.
_____________________
ELVIS PELVIS
Intl Feature Competition - France, UK, 2007, 95 min, Digibeta - North American Premiere
Thursday, November 8th 9:45pm -- ArcLight Theatre 13 $11.00
Friday, November 9th 1:30pm -- ArcLight Theatre 11 $7.00
DIR: Kevin Aduaka; CAST: Kadeem Pearse, Tony Cealy, Laura Crowe, Mark Oliver, Geoffrey Burton
In attendance: Kevin Aduaka, François-Xavier Frantz
Two interlaced stories about hero worship and fatherhood echo one another in Nigerian/UK filmmaker Kevin Aduaka’s striking debut ELVIS PELVIS. Elvis Pelvis is a story told in two parts; “THE SUIT” tells of a family living in London in the early 80s and the effects of the legacy of Elvis Presley on them. Ten-year-old Elvis lives under the tyranny of his father Tony—a stern policeman who is obsessed with the legacy of Elvis Presley. Elvis’s walls, in contrast, are covered with a shrine to Jimi Hendrix. “THE MESSIAH” takes place 17 years later and tells of Derek, a disturbed recluse who also loves Hendrix, and pretends to be the long-lost son of a dying patriarch. He seeks to distract himself by visiting the local church in search of salvation.
_____________________
HONEYDRIPPER
Special Screenings -- USA, 2007, 123 min, 35 MM
Sunday, November 4th 4:00pm -- ArcLight Theatre 10 $11.00
Tuesday, November 6th Noon -- ArcLight Theatre 10 $7.00
DIR: John Sayles; CAST: Danny Glover, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Yaya DaCosta, Charles S. Dutton, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Gary Clark Jr.
In attendance: Maggie Renzi, John Sayles
Using a steamy blues soundtrack to tell the story of the birth of rock and roll, iconic independent filmmaker John Sayles’ (RETURN TO SECACAUS SEVEN, PASSIONFISH) new film HONEYDRIPPERS is set in an Alabama juke joint in 1950, and is steeped in the miasma of the South.
The film features an all-star cast including Danny Glover, Charles S. Dutton, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Stacy Keach, Mary Steenburgen, Yaya DaCosta and Sean Patrick Thomas, with newcomer Gary Clark Jr. making an impressive film debut. Noted musicians Keb’ Mo’ and Dr. Mable John also appear. Deep in debt to the liquor man, the chicken man and the landlord, Tyrone (Glover) is desperate to lure young migrant farmers and local Army recruits to his juke joint as a way to keep his business alive. When his efforts to get a famous electric guitar player to come play at the club go awry, he hatches a last ditch plan.
Graceful filmmaking, strong seductive performances, vibrant musical numbers and gorgeous cinematography combine to create a profoundly sensual journey, visceral in its effect on the viewer. Sayles is firmly at the helm of this beautiful film that unfolds with sharp insight and dramatic flair. HONEYDRIPPERS is a stirring example of the power of cinema to enlighten as it defies the boundaries of culture and time. - Shaz Bennett
Many other excellent films – visit the AFI website for complete listing -- www.afi.com/onscreen/afifest/2007 click on 2007 Film Guide.
For complete information about AFI Fest visit www.afi.com/onscreen/afifest/2007
Tickets and passes now on sale!
Online buy tickets | Buy passes -- www.afi.com/onscreen/afi.../tickets.aspx
By phone at 1-866-AFI-FEST
Or fax your order to 323.962.9931
Or stop by the box office at Rooftop Village, seventh floor of the ArcLight Cinemas parking structure
Africa Showcase & Related Films:
Clouds Over Conakry (Guinea/African Showcase)
Emergency Needs (USA/Intl Shorts Competition)
Faat Kine (Senegal/Ousmane Sembene)
Faro – Goddess of the Waters (African Showcase)
Munyurangabo (Rwanda/Intl Feature Competition)
Nosaltres (Senegal/African Showcase)
Ousmane (France, Senegal/Intl Shorts Competition)
Welcome to Nollywood (USA/African Showcase)
White Man in a Black Box (France, Namibia/Intl Shorts Competition)
____________________________
CLOUDS OVER CONAKRY
IL VA PLEUVOIR SUR CONAKRY
African Showcase, World Cinema -- Guinea, France, 2007, 115 min, 35 MM -- In French/Malinke with English subtitles
Tuesday, November 6th 9:00pm -- ArcLight Theatre 12 $11.00
Wednesday, November 7th 1:45pm -- ArcLight Theatre 14 $7.00
DIR: Cheick Fantamady Camara; CAST: Alex Ogou, Moussa Keita, Tella Kpomahou, Jeannot Coker, Fifi Dalla Kouyate, Fatoumata Diawara, Abdoulaye Diallo, Rouguiatou Camara, Kade Seck
In attendance: Cheick F. Camara
CLOUDS OVER CONAKRY takes us into urban Africa, where the new – beauty pageants, Apple laptops, recording studio, beachside bars – clashes with the old, and in Conakry, the weatherman is predicting rain.
Bangali (BB) secretly works as a cartoonist at the city paper for his girlfriend’s father, satirizing the local religious zealots. Unfortunately for BB, his father is the local imam. BB still hasn’t gotten up the nerve to tell his father what he does for a living when he learns that he has been chosen as the next imam. To make matters worse, BB is in love with a woman of whom his father does not approve.
Instead of making a romantic comedy out of this situation, Guinean director Cheick Fantamady Camara opts for a more challenging approach to his debut feature. The result is heartbreaking. Camara is a talented new African filmmaker on the rise. - Jacqueline Lyanga
__________________________
FAAT KINE
Milestones
Senegal, 2000, 118 min -- In Wolof, French with English subtitles
Saturday, November 3rd 3:15pm -- ArcLight Theatre 11 $11.00
DIR: Ousmane Sembene; CAST: Venus Seye, Mame Ndoumbé, Ndiagne Dia, Mariama Balde, Awa Sene Sarr, Tabata Ndiaye
When Kine (the marvelous Venus Seye), a gas-station manager in present-day Senegal, realizes that she is financially unable to provide for her two college-age children’s desired European travel and study, she starts to reevaluate her own life of dreams deferred and achievement denied.
She was a student once too, with aspirations of becoming a lawyer, but all that changed after an affair with a charismatic, married professor landed her shamed, pregnant, and expelled from school. Later, the father of Kine’s second illegitimate child wooed her while slowly siphoning away her life savings, landing himself in prison before their son was born. So, Kine is a survivor, of her own life and the men in it—one of a long succession of African women exploited by a callow patriarchy.
The penultimate film directed by the late Ousmane Sembene (who was 78 at the time of its release), FAAT KINE is at once an intimate, human family drama and a spry, nimble consideration of a new West Africa at odds with its colonial legacy. - Scott Foundas
______________________________
WELCOME TO NOLLYWOOD
African Showcase, World Cinema -- USA, 2007, 57 min, VIDEO
Wednesday, November 7th 7:30pm -- ArcLight Theatre 11 $11.00
Friday, November 9th 4:15pm -- ArcLight Theatre 13 $7.00
DIR: Jamie Meltzer
In attendance: Henry Rosenthal, Jamie Meltzer,
Nigeria produces 2,400 films a year - it’s the third largest producer of films worldwide. Nigerian filmmakers are not dreaming about making it big in Hollywood, they’re just picking up a camera and making a movie in Nollywood.
Nollywood director, Izu Ojukwu, learned how to make movies by building a projector from scratch. At the center of this film is the production of his epic film LAVIVA. Ojukwu employs a cast of 700 for his epic African war film, but hiring a cast and feeding them are two very different things. When there is no money to pay the “welfare” lady (catering), she simply stops making food and the actors are forced to act through their hunger. This is a lesson in guerilla filmmaking, Nigerian style.
In Nigeria, you’re not a real filmmaker until, like Chico Ejiro (aka “Mr. Prolific”) you’ve made so many films that you don’t remember the plotlines. Welcome to Nollywood. - Jacqueline Lyanga
MUNYURANGABO
Intl Feature Competition -- Rwanda, USA, 2007, 97 min, 35 MM -- In Kinyarwanda with English subtitles -- US Premiere
Thursday, November 8th 7:30pm -- ArcLight Theatre 12 $11.00
Saturday, November 10th 2:00pm -- ArcLight Theatre 12 $11.00
DIR: Lee Isaac Chung; CAST: Jeff Rutagengwa, Eric Ndorunkundiye, Jean Marie Nkurikiyinka, Jean Pierre Mulonda Harerimana, Edouard B. Uwayo
In attendance: Isaac Chung, Jenny Lund
Lee Isaac Chung, a Korean-American filmmaker working out of New York makes his feature debut with an outstanding film about two young Rwandan men – one Hutu and the other Tutsi - on a journey through Rwanda’s haunted countryside. Set in the years after the Rwandan genocide of 1994, the film opens with Ngabo (Jeff Rutagengwa) – who is named after the ancient Rwandan warrior, Munyurangabo - stealing a machete from a market. It is a purposeful act, as shortly after, Ngabo and his best friend Sangwa (Eric Ndorunkundiye) set out into the countryside to find the man who killed Ngabo’s father during the genocide. Chung and his actors – first-time actors who were also involved in writing the script – articulate the pain of memory, betrayal and loss with poignancy in this rare and moving film about the delicate ties that bind friendship and family.
__________________________
WHITE MAN IN A BLACK BOX
HOMME BLANC DANS UNE BOITE NOIRE
Intl Shorts Competition -- France, Namibia, 2007, 4 min, VIDEO -- North American Premiere
Plays in Shorts Program Two
Tuesday, November 6th 2:00pm -- ArcLight Theatre 13 $7.00
Thursday, November 8th 7:15pm -- ArcLight Theatre 13 $11.00
DIR: Jerome Jourlait
Yourself seen through the lens of a camera by young kids of Himba in north Namibia.
__________________________
OUSMANE
Intl Shorts Competition -- France, Senegal, 2006, 15 min, 35 MM -- in Wolof with English subtitles
Plays in Shorts Program One
Wednesday, November 7th 2:30pm -- ArcLight Theatre 13 $7.00
Friday, November 9th 7:30pm -- ArcLight Theatre 13 $11.00
DIR: Gaye Dyana; CAST: Abbasse Ba, Oumar Seck, Nianga Diop, El Hadj Dieng, Coly M'baye, Thierno N'diaye Doss,Yalli Diagne, Moustapha Gaye
Dakar, Senegal. Ousmane, a 7 year-old child, begs in the streets. He decides to write a letter to Santa Claus.
_______________________
FARO - GODDESS OF THE WATERS
FARO - LA REINE DES EAUX
African Showcase -- France, Canada, Mali, Burkina Faso, Germany, 2007, 96 min, 35 MM -- In Bambara with English subtitles
Wednesday, November 7th 2:30pm -- ArcLight Theatre 13 $7.00
Friday, November 9th 7:30pm -- ArcLight Theatre 13 $11.00
DIR: Salif Traore; CAST: Sotigui Kouyate, Fili Traore, Michel Mpambara, Habib Dembele, Helene M. Diarra
In attendance: Salif Traore
In this assured debut from Salif Traoré, a former assistant to Souleymane Cissé and Abderrahmane Sissako, we follow the story of an engineer who returns to his rural village in Mali many years after having been cast out for being born out of wedlock.
Zanga (Fili Traoré) returns to the village of his birth to uncover the identity of his father and initiate a waterworks project. However, the fact that his arrival coincides with the drowning of a young villager alerts the village elders, who confer and determine that Faro, the spirit who rules the waters has been angered by Zanga’s return and the only way to appease her anger is with sacrifice.
The African landscape is photographed beautifully and the script, co-written by Salif Traoré and Olivier Lorelle deftly navigates the maelstrom of modern Africa while giving voice to the power of one individual to affect change.
________________________
EMERGENCY NEEDS
Intl Shorts Competition -- USA, 2007, 7 min, Digibeta -- North American Premiere
Plays in Shorts Program Two
Tuesday, November 6th 2:00pm -- ArcLight Theatre 13 $7.00
Thursday, November 8th 7:15pm -- ArcLight Theatre 13 $11.00
DIR: Kevin Jerome Everson; CAST: Esosa Edosmwan, Mayor Carl B. Stokes
In attendance: Kevin Everson
From acclaimed filmmaker Kevin Everson comes a unique meditation on the July 1968 uprising in Cleveland Ohio and the reaction of Mayor Carl Stokes.
________________________
NOSALTRES
African Showcase, World Cinema
Senegal, 2007, 71 min, VIDEO -- In Wolof, Spanish, French with English subtitles -- North American Premiere
Friday, November 2nd 7:15pm -- ArcLight Theatre 11 $11.00
Saturday, November 3rd 1:00pm -- ArcLight Theatre 11 $11.00
DIR: Moussa Toure
In attendance: Moussa Toure
One man has paid 750 euros to be smuggled out of Africa, while another has lived in the small town in Catalonia, all of his life: what do these two men say to each other as they pass each other on the street each morning? Nothing.
Award-winning Senegalese filmmaker, Moussa Touré, takes us to the Catalan village of Saint Feliu where immigrants from Mali have changed the cultural makeup of the village. There is no communication between the two communities; they are like ghosts to each other. Touré steps in with his camera and forces change. Through his interviews with the Malian and Catalan residents of Saint Feliu, Touré forces them to confront their ignorance, their prejudices and their fears.
When a number of African men wash up on a beach populated by sunbathing Catalans, the Catalans quickly grab their beach towels and wrap them around the shivering men, and Touré perfectly captures the humanity of a simple gesture of kindness. - Jacqueline Lyanga
Other films that might be of interest:
PUBLIC ENEMY: WELCOME TO THE TERRORDOME
(USA, 2007, 100 mins) -- Intl Documentary Competition
Wednesday, November 7th 10:30pm
Saturday, November 10th 12:30pm
Both screenings will be $11 in ArcLight Theatre 10
In attendance: Robert Patton-Spruill, Walt Leaphar, Patricia Moreno
In the 1980s, Public Enemy changed the music industry and American culture with its signature mix of fiery progressive politics and bangin' beats. Making the most of his amazing access to Chuck D and Flava Flav, director Robert Patton-Spruill recounts the group's rise to success while tracking its continuing impact. Featuring interviews with the Beastie Boys, Tom Morello (Audioslave, Rage Against the Machine), Henry Rollins, Talib Kweli and Jonathan Davis of Korn.
_____________________
ELVIS PELVIS
Intl Feature Competition - France, UK, 2007, 95 min, Digibeta - North American Premiere
Thursday, November 8th 9:45pm -- ArcLight Theatre 13 $11.00
Friday, November 9th 1:30pm -- ArcLight Theatre 11 $7.00
DIR: Kevin Aduaka; CAST: Kadeem Pearse, Tony Cealy, Laura Crowe, Mark Oliver, Geoffrey Burton
In attendance: Kevin Aduaka, François-Xavier Frantz
Two interlaced stories about hero worship and fatherhood echo one another in Nigerian/UK filmmaker Kevin Aduaka’s striking debut ELVIS PELVIS. Elvis Pelvis is a story told in two parts; “THE SUIT” tells of a family living in London in the early 80s and the effects of the legacy of Elvis Presley on them. Ten-year-old Elvis lives under the tyranny of his father Tony—a stern policeman who is obsessed with the legacy of Elvis Presley. Elvis’s walls, in contrast, are covered with a shrine to Jimi Hendrix. “THE MESSIAH” takes place 17 years later and tells of Derek, a disturbed recluse who also loves Hendrix, and pretends to be the long-lost son of a dying patriarch. He seeks to distract himself by visiting the local church in search of salvation.
_____________________
HONEYDRIPPER
Special Screenings -- USA, 2007, 123 min, 35 MM
Sunday, November 4th 4:00pm -- ArcLight Theatre 10 $11.00
Tuesday, November 6th Noon -- ArcLight Theatre 10 $7.00
DIR: John Sayles; CAST: Danny Glover, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Yaya DaCosta, Charles S. Dutton, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Gary Clark Jr.
In attendance: Maggie Renzi, John Sayles
Using a steamy blues soundtrack to tell the story of the birth of rock and roll, iconic independent filmmaker John Sayles’ (RETURN TO SECACAUS SEVEN, PASSIONFISH) new film HONEYDRIPPERS is set in an Alabama juke joint in 1950, and is steeped in the miasma of the South.
The film features an all-star cast including Danny Glover, Charles S. Dutton, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Stacy Keach, Mary Steenburgen, Yaya DaCosta and Sean Patrick Thomas, with newcomer Gary Clark Jr. making an impressive film debut. Noted musicians Keb’ Mo’ and Dr. Mable John also appear. Deep in debt to the liquor man, the chicken man and the landlord, Tyrone (Glover) is desperate to lure young migrant farmers and local Army recruits to his juke joint as a way to keep his business alive. When his efforts to get a famous electric guitar player to come play at the club go awry, he hatches a last ditch plan.
Graceful filmmaking, strong seductive performances, vibrant musical numbers and gorgeous cinematography combine to create a profoundly sensual journey, visceral in its effect on the viewer. Sayles is firmly at the helm of this beautiful film that unfolds with sharp insight and dramatic flair. HONEYDRIPPERS is a stirring example of the power of cinema to enlighten as it defies the boundaries of culture and time. - Shaz Bennett
Many other excellent films – visit the AFI website for complete listing -- www.afi.com/onscreen/afifest/2007 click on 2007 Film Guide.
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