A few weeks ago (at a screening arranged by the International Documentary Foundation) I saw “Rough Aunties,” a film by director Kim Longinotto about a group of women in Durban, South Africa, who work with police to apprehend child rapists and molesters, as well as run a home for abused and molested women. The women, [...]
Archive for the ‘film’ Category
it takes a woman
Posted in film, tagged film, gender, Kim Longinotto, South Africa, violence against women on June 23, 2009 | 4 Comments »
politics and hip hop in senegal
Posted in film, Music, tagged Ben Herson, Dakar, Democracy in Dakar, documentary film, hip hop, Nomadic Wax, rap, Senegal, video on June 15, 2009 | 1 Comment »
While making the documentary, “African Underground: Democracy in Dakar,” which “… explores the transformative role of hip-hop on politics in Senegal, West Africa during the February 2007 presidential election campaign,” the filmmakers posted segments on the internet. That’s the first web episode above. If you liked that, next week the full documentary–now complete–will be screened [...]
kicking and screening
Posted in film, tagged events in New York City, festivals, film, football, Kicking and Screening, soccer on June 11, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Exactly one year from today, the World Cup kicks off in South Africa. So its a good time to post about football. Good time to talk about football and film. One of the teams trying to make it for South Africa 2010 is France. They currently lie second in their group in the European qualifiers [...]
Ousmane Sembene’s ‘Borom Sarret’
Posted in film, tagged African cinema, Borom Sarret, cinema, film, Ousmane Sembene on June 3, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
safe abortions
Posted in film, tagged abortion, abortion clinics, Ethiopia, film, gender, George Tiller, human rights, IPAS, Lisa Russell, patriarchy, religion on June 1, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Searing 23-minute film, “Not Yet Rain,” about attempts to ensure safe abortions in Ethiopia, where thousands of women die each year from pregnancy-related complications. Despite the fact that Ethiopia passed a far-reaching abortion law in 2006, safe abortions are still unattainable in most cases. The film is directed by Brooklyn-based Lisa Russell. (The film was [...]
a white man’s best friend
Posted in Africa is a Country, film, tagged animals, apartheid, dogs, film, Inja, South Africa on June 1, 2009 | 4 Comments »
“Inja” (Dog), a short film by South African-Australian director Steve Pasvolsky, about a relationship between a dog and two men–a white farmer and a black farmhand in South Africa. (The film won the award for Best Short Film at the American Academy Award in 2003.) Worth the 17 minutes.
cinema Africa
Posted in film, tagged BAM, Brooklyn, Dance Africa, film, Mahen Bonetti, New York African Film Festival on May 22, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
CNN International’s weekly magazine program on Africa, “Inside Africa,” recently did a short feature on The New York African Film Festival. Clips and interviews with film directors Michael Raeburn, Xoliswa Sithole, Lupito Nyong’o and festival director Mahen Bonetti. (Mahen, by the way, remains a tireless champion for African film in New York City, something she [...]
football as never before
Posted in film, tagged film, football, George Best, Helmut Costard, Kobe Bryant, live events in New York City, movies, soccer, Spike Lee, Zinedine Zidane on May 21, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Earlier this month, ESPN screened “Kobe Doin’ Work,” by American director, Spike Lee. In the film, Lee focused 30 cameras on Kobe Bryant, the star point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers, during a regular season game against the San Antonio Spurs. Lee captured Bryant’s every move at the expense of the game or his [...]
Bollywood, Nollywood … Vendawood
Posted in film, tagged Bollywood, film, Nollywood, South Africa, Venda, Vendawood on May 21, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
In the context of my current obsession with the “South African film industry“–where the national film commission acknowledges that a paltry 8 to 10 high budget films are completed every year which nobody watches*–comes the news about a small, but sustainable film industry in the minority Venda-language. South African public television screened a documentary about [...]
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