The British blacklist’s 2022 Film Africa Festival: what to watch list
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- October 28, 2022
In 2022, Film Africa returns for its 10th edition from Friday, 28th October to Sunday 6th November 2022. Save the date!
The festival brings 48 titles from 16 African countries, including 22 UK, European and World Premieres, Film Africa will host screenings across 7 London venues as well as feature a selection of 7 narrative and documentary films on BFI Player. Bringing diverse London and UK audiences a high-quality and wide-ranging film programme accompanied by a vibrant series of events, including director Q&As, talks and panel discussions; workshops and masterclasses.
Film Africa Young Audiences school screenings and family activities; and Film Africa LIVE! music nights. Film Africa also recognises and supports new film-making talent through the Baobab Award for Best Short Film and the Audience Award for Best Feature Film.
The full programme features films, series and immersive artworks.
We’ve pulled out the films we think you our wonderful audience will enjoy.
Here are our recommendations:
Opening film: Our Father The Devil
Ellie Foumbi’s debut feature length, Our Father, the Devil is a powerful and deeply suspenseful film that burns with the righteous intensity of its intriguing heroine as well as the filmmaker’s willingness to take audiences on a morally ambiguous journey. Provocative and sure footed, Our Father, the Devil interrogates trauma, revenge, survival, loss, love and other human complexities with brilliant performances and masterful storytelling.
Director: Ellie Foumbi
UK Premiere + Director Q&A (BSL interpreted)
Friday 28th October 6:30 PM | Picture House Central
Saturday 29th October 3:00 PM | South London Gallery
Video Credit: Film Africa
#Blackboyjoygone (Doc Short)
What does joy mean to the Black man? This interesting hybrid documentary, made by- and for- Black men seeks to uncover this question. Touching on topics like mental health, toxic masculinity and sexual abuse, #BlackBoyJoyGone opens up discussions often considered taboo in Black communities with the hopes of finding healing from sharing. The stories unearth strength from vulnerability and beauty from trauma. Blending candid interviews, poetry, dance performances and oral storytelling, #BlackBoyJoyGone takes a snapshot of the lived realities of its subjects, highlighting a common brotherhood.
Directors: Ashley Karrell & Isaac Ouro-Gnao
Sunday 30th October 4:00pm | The Africa Centre
Video Credit: Film Africa
Rehearsal (Short)
A photo essay tribute to the strength and diversity of the African woman. Part of a selection of shorts reflecting life’s troubles through a modern West African lens. Documentary, drama and animation make a compelling new cross-genre shorts programme from Beyond Nollywood creator, curator and author Nadia Denton.
Director: Michael Omonua
I Am (Short)
Noé finds a motionless android in the forest and reactivates it, bringing to life a strange relationship. Part of a selection of shorts reflecting life’s troubles through a modern West African lens. Documentary, drama and animation make a compelling new cross-genre shorts programme from Beyond Nollywood creator, curator and author Nadia Denton.
Amansa Tiafi (Public Toilet Africa)
Ama returns home, the city where she was gifted to a white art collector as a little girl. She recruits her ex-lover on a quest to reclaim her stolen childhood. But, things go awry and they escape the city, only to end up on a series of bizarre encounters as their fate is tied to that of the two passengers they pick up. Amansa Tiafi is reminiscent of Touki-Bouki, with sensuous cinematography punctuated by Hi-Life and Afrobeat.
Dine & View + Director Q&A
Director: Kofi Ofosu-Yeboah
Monday 31st October 07:00pm | The Africa Centre
Tuesday 1st November 07:00pm | The Africa Centre
Video Credit: Film Africa
Deaffest
This year Film Africa partners once again with the UK’s leading Deaf Film & Arts festival, Deaffest, to present a programme of films by Deaf filmmakers along with a live panel discussion.
The films include: Follow The Sign (Dirs. Chris Fonseca and Harry Jardine), Human Spirit (Dir. Kevin Walker), Night Shift (Dir. Bim Ajadi), Send Back The Echo (Dir. Jasmin Kent Rodgman), Silent World (Dir. Charlie Dennis), The Multi (Dir. Natasha Ofili and Storm Smith) and Triple Oppression (Dir. Vilma Jackson).
Irreprochable (Flawless)
Director: Anaïs Lonkeu
“When you’re black, you have to work twice as hard as the others, otherwise you will disappear”. Flawless captivatingly performs race politics through the lens of a young girl, Laura.
Teju’s Tale (Short)
Set in the 1950s, Teju, like many young ladies across the British Empire, relocates to London from Lagos to study nursing, an opportunity meant to widen her horizons. Ready to take on the challenge and excel, Teju is in for a shock: her colleagues demand to see her tail.
Article Credit: TBB
