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Atlanta's 1st Women of Color International Film Festival March 11-12 2005
Valley of the Innocent Hairpiece: A film for Nappy-Headed People & Lord Have Mercy (tied) Kounandi Click here to view pixs from the 2005 festival
Exploring the "African" identity.
An animated satire on the question of self-image for African American women living in a society where beautiful hair is viewed as hair that blows in the wind and lets you be free. Lively tunes and witty narration accompany a quick-paced inventory of relaxers, gels, and curlers. Such rituals are all-too familiar to African American women-and indeed to all women confronted with an unattainable ideal of beauty.
Checkpoints, a common sight on Nigerian roads, are
positioned to protect civilians and control armed
robbery. In a corrupt nation, checkpoint duty is a
well-known, bribe-extorting opportunity for officers
of the law to supplement an already meager wage.Moses, a Nigerian police officer on checkpoint duty, is in dire need of money. While pondering his financial situation, he tosses his scruples aside and impulsively resorts to rash measures.
The sweetest woman in the world can be the meanest in the world...if you make her that way! Cautionary musical tale of what can happen when one woman crosses that thin line between love and hate.
Set in a storefront church, Mt. Zion, in the heart of downtown Toronto, the comedy features a father-in-law and a son-in-law team who are pastors, but whose generational difference is the ongoing source of friction making its way through a series of comedic situations.
Ma'am Fatou Seck, is an in- process feature documentary that explores the culture of Spirit and introduces Ma'am Seck and elders from other sacred traditions as "wisdom keepers" of cultural differences and spiritual similarities. Through music, art, computer graphics, dramatic re-enactments, archival materials, and footage recorded at the authentic African healing ceremony Coumba Lamba, we navigate cultural differences and spiritual similarities. Interviews with experts representing broad perspectives, guide the ideas in order to organize and analyze the importance of Africa's role, and give testimony to support the premise. Ma'am Seck, the healer, is introduced as one of the wisdom keepers of Africa's contribution to this cosmic intelligence.
MAANGAMIZI - THE ANCIENT ONE is a story about three women; a doctor, her patient and the ancient and mysterious ancestor who brings them together
Maangamizi', a powerful Swahili word translates into 'destroyer' and is the unseen force (ancestor) binding African American physician, Dr ASira (BarbaraO) and her African patient Samehe (Amandina Lihamba) in a tense and psychological relationship. Maangamizi guides them on a spiritual and emotional journey which culminates on the slopes of the ancient and dormant volcano of Mt. Meru overlooking the Kilimanjaro plains. In their confrontation with their individual and collective pasts, Dr. Asira and Samehe are bound by fears and half-remembered images of unbearable pain. Only through the spirit of Maangamizi can the women resume their lives with an understanding of the ancestors and their eternal presence even in a world of cruelty, hatred, and death.
Gurudasi Mondol gave herself up to madness in 1971, during the Liberation War of Bangladesh, as she watched her entire family killed, then later was imprisoned and raped. Thirty years later, she continues to roam the streets of a small town in Bangladesh - taking at will from strangers and breaking into spaces normally reserved for men. She is unafraid of authority, and scorns it. Yet in her madness, she has found a strategy for survival.
Elora, a Bengali woman, has recently moved in with her husband Aashish. On the occasion of Diwali, the festival of light, she silently observes that he does not celebrate the way she is accustomed to back home. A chance encounter with Shiva of the chocolate mountains helps her adjust to her new circumstance and reveals to her that everything is all right.
Exploring the extraordinary contributions of women filmmakers from Africa and the diaspora, Beti Ellerson.s engaging debut intersperses interviews with such acclaimed women directors as Assia Djebar, Safi Faye, Sarah Maldoror, Anne Mungai, Fanta Régina Nacro and Ngozi Onwurah with footage from their seminal work. With power and nuance, Ellerson also confronts the thorny question of cultural authenticity by revisiting the legendary 1991 FESPACO (Pan-African Festival of Cinema and Television of Ouagadougou), in which diasporian women were asked to leave a meeting intended for African woman only. This film is both a valuable anthology and a fitting homage to the pioneers and new talents of African cinema.
The experience of Nelson Mandela's favorite performers demonstrates the vital role that music plays in the face of racism and oppression. Magnetic Canadian/South African performer Lorraine Klaasen introduces us to these five remarkable Legends.They share their music and their experiences during the disruptive, violent years of apartheid. We learn how important music is in the life of South Africa, and how correct Mandela was when he said the Legends have a real "hunger to sing".
Kounandi's biological mother, a stranger to the village, dies in childbirth. The infant is named Kounandi, or "one who brings luck", by the village chief and is adopted by Miriam and Moussa, an unhappy childless couple. Kounandi's name turns out not to be very appropriate since she grows up into a dwarf, traditionally regarded as a symbol of bad luck.
Etu & Nago: The Yoruba Connection attests to the endurance of ancestral memory against time, distance, and bondage. It relates the story of Jamaicans whose Yoruba ancestors were brought to Jamaica as indentured servants during the 1840s.
A dark story of loss, remembering and confused identities. On her return to her hometown of Dresden, lonely, mixed-race Eva visits the orphanage where she was an alienated little girl yearning for the golden plaits of her Aryan sisters. The journey into her past takes her straight into the heart of the East German secret police and reveals a convoluted plot to hide her birth, protect a family name, and attract recruits to a spy ring. Shortly after the fall of the Taliban, Iranian filmmaker Yassamin Maleknasr embarked on a remarkable journey across the vast landscape of Afghanistan from Herat to Balkh, the only womanand filmmaker to have traveled such distances since the fall of the regime. Her resulting film,Afghanistan: The Lost Truth, is fascinating look at the people, culture and landscape of the country-and the optimism that endures despite the countless tragedies the country has suffered.
This short film tells the story of a young woman who comes to a cross roads in her relationship when her boyfriend doesn't approve of her new extremely short hair style.
Set in the rural early 20th century South, Rose, an African-American beauty, has achieved her lifelong goal of an easy life of luxury and riches, but at a price -- a husband who is rarely home. Yearning for attention, Rose frequently fills the void singing at a nearby juke joint. Eventually, Rose finds the strength to give up the luxury and riches for a more fulfilling life. Unfortunately it's a lesson she learns too late
Coquie Hughes pulled together a creative team of crew and talent
to shoot a “1min Spec Trailer” and a “ 5min Making Of
Documentary” in order to pitch the idea to investors & industry
execs.
Traces the careers of inspiring African American women filmmakers from the early part of the 20th century to today. As the first documentary of its kind, Sisters in Cinema creates a strong visual history of the contributions of African American women to the film industry. |
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