The 47th edition of International Film Festival Rotterdam takes place 24 January to 4 February 2018. This year IFFR has programmed PACT showing renowned contemporary African and African-diaspora cinema with a special focus on the history of the Pan-African movement as captured in film.with features, documentaries, short film programmes, VR, talks and a workshop. Guest curator Nadia Dentdon’s compilation programme Beyond Nollywood will highlight the new movement in independent Nigerian cinema that is challenging Nollywood as far as style and content are concerned.
The films include:
Sankofa Dir: Haile Gerima 125min USA, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Germany 1993
Black American model Mona, averse from America’s history of slavery, is taking part in a photo shoot at a Ghanaian slave fort. With this trailblazing film, Gerima did away with the nostalgic romanticising of slavery as presented in American cultural expressions, particularly cinema. Sankofa is an influential work in African Diaspora cinema and also consolidated Gerima’s principled position as an independent filmmaker.
Café com Canela Dir: Ary Rosa, Glenda Nicácio 106mins Brazil
The prize-winning debut of Rosa and Nicácio. In a film that exudes enthusiasm and daring, the makers intimately depict sensitive subjects such as grief, homophobia, desire, ancestor worship and transformation.
Black Girl Dir: Ousmane Sembene 59mins Senegal 1966
Diouana, a young woman from a Senegalese village, roams Dakar every day looking for work. In spite of the huge supply of unemployed women, owing to her submissiveness she is ‘chosen’ to be the nanny for a rich French family. When she is permitted to move to France to live with them, a dream seems to be coming true. When this dream turns into an inescapable nightmare, she decides to commit a last act of self-determination.
1745 Dir: Gordon Napier UK
When two young black slaves escape into the wilds of 18th century Scotland, they must use all of their courage and strength to survive, unite, and stay free.
My Mother’s Stew Dir: Sade Adeniran 5mins UK
A young woman stands outside the front door of the family home and the smell of her favourite stew reminds her of happy memories from her childhood. Can she reconcile that period of innocence before her life was shattered by some devastating family news
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