SCREENING SIGHTINGS - Best Of The African Diaspora Film Festival @ BAM
Attention New Yorkers:
A few screenings to fill your calendars with for the rest of the month... they're certainly on mine.
All are selections from last fall's African Diaspora Film Festival, and will be screening at BAM Cinematek. I've also written about some of these films previously on this blog.
Here they are, trailers included:
1. Gospel Hill (Read my post on this HERE)
Fri, Feb 20 at 9pm*
Sun, Feb 22 at 6:50pm*
Tue, Feb 24 at 9:40pm*
*Q&A with Giancarlo Esposito
Directed by Giancarlo Esposito
With Angela Bassett, Danny Glover, Julia Stiles
This powerful film captures the simmering tension and prejudice in the southern town of Julia on the eve of a memorial for assassinated civil rights activist Paul Malcolm. Glover brilliantly portrays Malcolm’s son, while Bassett is remarkable as his wife, who urges her husband to fight to stop developers in the Gospel Hill neighborhood intent on exploiting black homeowners.
2. Prince of Broadway (Read my post on this HERE)
Sat, Feb 21 at 4pm*
Tue, Feb 24 at 4:30 pm*
*Q&A with filmmakers
Directed by Sean Baker
Two men’s lives converge in New York City’s wholesale fashion district. Lucky, an illegal immigrant from Ghana, solicits street shoppers with knock-off merchandise, and Levon, an Armenian-Lebanese immigrant, operates an illegal storefront selling counterfeit goods. While Lucky’s world is turned upside down when a child is thrust into his life, Levon struggles to save a marriage that is falling apart. Winner of the Jury Award, Los Angeles Film Festival 2008.
3. Namibia: The Struggle for Liberation (Read my post on this HERE)
Wed, Feb 25 at 8:40pm
Directed by Charles Burnett
With Danny Glover, Carl Lumbly
Charles Burnett’s (Killer of Sheep) latest work depicts a major event in African history: Namibia’s struggle for independence from apartheid-era South Africa. The film focuses on the rise of Samuel Nujoma (Lumbly), a prominent leader in the fight for independence and the country’s first president.
4. Princess of Africa
Wed, Feb 25 at 4:30pm
Directed by Juan Laguna
This is the story of two dreams: Marem, a Senegalese dancer, dreams of visiting Europe, while Sonia, a Spanish dancer, is fascinated by the magic of Africa. Their interconnected lives become a bridge between two cultures as the women are exposed to new experiences and ways of thinking. In Spanish, French, and Wolof with English subtitles.
5. Naked Acts
Sat, Feb 21 at 9:30pm*
*Q&A with Bridgett Davis
Directed by Bridgett Davis
This is the story of Cicely, an actress who lost 57 pounds and landed her first role in a low-budget art film. She soon learns that the role requires a nude scene. How can she keep her clothes on and keep the part? Cicely’s journey unveils a secret she kept hidden beneath her girth, as she discovers that emotional nakedness is more revealing than taking her clothes off could ever be. Winner of the Audience Award for the Best Film Directed by a Woman of Color at ADFF 2008.
There are several others not listed above. Feel free to check them all out HERE.
Gospel Hill looks pretty awesome. What an amazing cast!