Black Film

The Prodigal Son

The Prodigal Son retraces the lost history of the Orderson family, and the West Indian community who left the Caribbean in the late 1800s as emancipated slaves, to settle in District Six, Cape Town, south Africa (via). but it also details similar stories and migrations from the West Indies to South Africa and one son’s journey with Rastafari. 

onitaset:

blackfilm:

sincerelyabitch:

Winnie Mandela is not too happy about the biopic Winnie coming out about her life because no one has spoken to her about the project. Wtf?!

She says that although she has nothing against Jennifer personally, she finds it insulting—as she should. Who makes a movie about someone’s life without asking them shit? Straight disrespectful…

any thoughts on the upcoming biopic about Winnie Mandela? 

aside from not consulting Winnie Mandela about this film, i also find it problematic that African American actors were chosen for a film about South Africans. we see this in numerous African film such as the Steven Biko film that starred Denzel Washington as Biko, the upcoming Half the Yellow Sun starring Thandie Newton (although she is British), Omar Epps in Deadly Voyage, and others. so now we have to sit through butchered accents when they could have simply hired actors from the area, with the accents, that know the local languages and the history of these situations.

and i think when this happens, it’s quite clear who the intended audience is for these films, and it isn’t Africans. 

any thoughts?

I think “African-Americans” are “Africans in America” and I would not think that Africans in America playing Africans in Africa is indicative of the intended audience being non-African seeing how “African-Americans” are Africans.

I would like to think that one-day the African Community will make an audio-visual story on Queen Hatshepsut or Nzingha and no one were too particular about the African nation in question, especially as these “African nations” are actually European nations imposed on Africa and the world (“Azania” is not “South Africa”).

It can be said that “Jennifer Hudson” is no “Winnie Mandela,” but that’s the point of acting.  The horror of this story is how Winnie Mandela was not consulted, not that an African in America is acting as an African in Azania.  Any actor worth anything should be able to play a role.  In films it’s also important to ‘look’ like the characters (when looks matter [almost always].)  Otherwise, even African actors should be able to play European roles.

Winnie Mandela should have been consulted; but more importantly, it’s worth realizing that the financiers behind the film are more interested in Propaganda and Returns than anything.  Rather than being concerned about divisions, we should understand that Winnie Mandela is alive and we should be taking notes on struggle and the depiction of struggle.  Winnie Mandela said herself she has nothing against Jennifer Hudson because as Nkrumah outlined “Know Your Enemy.”

interesting points.

any other thoughts?

sincerelyabitch:

Winnie Mandela is not too happy about the biopic Winnie coming out about her life because no one has spoken to her about the project. Wtf?!

She says that although she has nothing against Jennifer personally, she finds it insulting—as she should. Who makes a movie about someone’s life without asking them shit? Straight disrespectful…

any thoughts on the upcoming biopic about Winnie Mandela? 

aside from not consulting Winnie Mandela about this film, i also find it problematic that African American actors were chosen for a film about South Africans. we see this in numerous African film such as the Steven Biko film that starred Denzel Washington as Biko, the upcoming Half the Yellow Sun starring Thandie Newton (although she is British), Omar Epps in Deadly Voyage, and others. so now we have to sit through butchered accents when they could have simply hired actors from the area, with the accents, that know the local languages and the history of these situations.

and i think when this happens, it’s quite clear who the intended audience is for these films, and it isn’t Africans. 

any thoughts?

Traces, Women’s Imprints (in full)

 Traces, Women’s Imprints is a film that ventures to the discovery of three grandmothers kassenas, their granddaughter, and the exclusively feminine art of this region’s mural paintings. Between these women’s portraits and a traditional art form, Traces is a painting on paintings that reflects upon transmission, education and memory in the context of a world in mutation. via

miguu:

sivadart:

The European Cultural Foundation talks to filmmaker John Akomfrah about his 25 year-long career - spanning the early years up to his current work, which premiered at the 4th Princess Margriet Award in Brussels on March 19, 2012. 

amazing.

(Source: artmusicvegan.com)

dynamicafrica:

b-sama:

AFRICAN INDEPENDENCE

African Independence is a feature-length documentary covering the history of the African continent since enslavement and colonization by Europeans. 

The film highlights the birth and realization of and the problems confronted by the movement to win independence in Africa. 

The story is told through the voices of freedom fighters and leaders who achieved independence and justice for Africans. 

It seeks to enlighten and provide audiences with African insights into the continent’s past, present and future through the lens of four watershed events: World War II, the end of colonialism, the Cold War and the era of African republics.

On my ‘to watch’ list.

(Source: upenn.edu)

derica:

Panel Discussion: Zina Saro-Wiwa, Awam Ampka, Mahen Bonnetti and Claudia Cairlman, 2010

Topics include: a Nigerian film aesthetic; a wider black African aesthetic; Nollywood and the aesthetics of African cinema; the future of African cinema