New York African Film Festival 2023
Film at Lincoln Center and African Film Festival, Inc. celebrate the kickoff of the 30th New York African Film Festival (NYAFF) at FLC from May 10 to 16.
Launched in 1993 and one of the first of its kind in the United States, the festival reflects on the myriad ways African and diaspora storytellers have used the moving image as a mold to tell stories with their own nuances and idiosyncrasies. Under the banner Freeforms, the festival presents more than 30 films from more than 15 countries that invite audiences to explore the infinite realms of African and diaspora storytelling and embrace its visionary, probing and fearless spirit.
Opening Night marks the New York premiere of Moussa Sène Absa’s Xalé, the third film in his trilogy focused on women. The Centerpiece selection is the U.S. premiere of Hyperlink, comprised of four short films and directed by South African filmmakers Mzonke Maloney, Nolitha Mkulisi, Julie Nxadi, and Evan Wigdorowitz, who reflect on the seductive, and at times treacherous, illusory reality of the internet.
The festival continues at Maysles Documentary Center in Harlem from May 19 to 21 and culminates at the Brooklyn Academy of Music under the name Film Africa from May 26 to June 1 during Dance Africa.
Acknowledgements:
National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, New York Community Trust, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, Bradley Family Foundation, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Domenico Paulon Foundation, NYC & Company, French Cultural Services, Manhattan Portage, Black Hawk Imports, Essentia Water, South African Consulate General, National Film and Video Foundation and Motion Picture Enterprises.
Xalé
Opening Night · New York Premiere · Q&A with Moussa Sène Absa on May 10
In the third part of his trilogy focused on women, Senegalese filmmaker Moussa Sène Absa boldly inflects contemporary melodrama with traditional storytelling modes in this potent, music-filled tale of one woman's tragedy and transcendence.Colette and Justin
North American Premiere · Q&A with Chadrack Banikina and Cecilia Zoppelletto
In Colette and Justin, filmmaker Alain Kassanda interviews his grandparents about their experience of Belgian colonialism and the fight for Congolese independence.Cordelia
New York Premiere · Q&A with Goga Clay
Cordelia, an adaptation of Femi Osofisan’s novella of the same title, is a compelling drama period of human intrigues set in Nigeria in the early 1990s during the years of military rule.A Daughter’s Tribute to Her Father: Souleymane Cissé
U.S. Premiere · Q&A with Fatou Cissé on May 11
A Daughter’s Tribute to Her Father is the story of a filmmaker told by his daughter. Through the testimony of his friends, family and close collaborators, this film traces the life of Souleymane Cissé from his childhood to today.Den Muso
Dent pour Dent
U.S. Premiere · Q&A with Ottis Ba Mamadou
Idrissa lives in the suburbs of Dakar, Senegal. He lost his job as a civil servant as a result of budget cuts ordered by the IMF. The day his redundancy money runs out, he is forced to live off his wife Viviane. He then searches by all means for a way to regain his pride as a man that he thinks he has lost...Hyperlink
Centerpiece · U.S. Premiere · Q&A with Mzonke Maloney, Nolitha Mkulisi, Julie Nxadi, and Evan Wigdorowitz on May 13
In four short films, young South African filmmakers reflect on the seductive, and at times treacherous, illusory reality of the internet. Using humor, suspense and social criticism, this collective production sketches a society dominated by idealized projections of the dreamt self.Know Your Place
New York Premiere · Q&A with Zia Mohajerjasbi
Amidst the landscape of a transforming city, a young boy confronts the reality of change and loss.Money, Freedom, a Story of CFA Franc
U.S. Premiere · Q&A with Katy Léna N’diaye
Money, Freedom, a Story of CFA Franc explores the history of the CFA Franc and monetary colonization in Africa.Our Lady of the Chinese Shop
U.S. Premiere
When a Chinese merchant brings to a neighborhood of Luanda a peculiar holy plastic figure of Our Lady, a mourning mother seeks peace, a committed barber starts a new cult, and a stray kid looks for revenge for his lost friend.Shimoni
New York Premiere
A teacher newly released from prison renegotiates the confines of the physical world while forced to face his nightmare in the flesh.With Peter Bradley
New York Premiere · Q&A with Alex Rappoport
79-years-old and overlooked since the 1970s, abstract painter Peter Bradley reflects on life and shares his artistic process on the cusp of his rediscovery.Yeelen
Q&A with Souleymane Cissé and Yeelen Cohen
Set in a timeless past, Cissè's 1987 classic recounts the mythic tale of a power struggle between father and son.Shorts Program 1: Call and Response
Q&A with Ifeyinwa Arinze, Kima Hibbert, Johanna Makabi, Joshua C. Okwuosa, and Tariq Tarey
A shorts program examining the unique and expressive ways individuals throughout the African diaspora respond to obstacles and desires.Shorts Program 2: Freeforms
Q&A with Iyabo Kwayana, Babetida Sadjo, Tarek El Sherbeny, Julia Mallory, Taoheed Bayo, and Mark Odumuyiwa
A collection of poetic, daring, and stylistic shorts that take the viewer on a contemplative emotional journey.Free Talks
Digital Art Exhibition: From red dust to Black clay
Free Talk: Safi Faye Memorial Talk – Women of African Cinema
Free and open to the public!
In honor of Faye’s recent passing, this conversation will bring together contemporary African directors and curators to reflect on Faye’s legacy and what it means for feminist African cinema today.Master Class with Moussa Sène Absa
Free and open to the public!
Acclaimed Senegalese filmmaker Moussa Sène Absa presents a Master Class probing the impact of migration on familial and community bonds, taking particular care to examine the perspectives of the mothers of migrants, who often provide the fare for passage.In Conversation with Souleymane Cissé
Free and open to the public!
NYAFF30 is pleased to welcome Souleymane Cissé to this year’s festival for retrospective screenings of Yeelen and Den Muso, and a special keynote talk about his career and legacy.Tickets are now on sale! $17 for the General Public; $14 for Students, Seniors, and Persons with Disabilities; and $12 for FLC Members.
See more and save with the $79 All-Access Pass or the $39 Student All-Access Pass. Please note that All-Access Passes can only be purchased online.
Complimentary tickets for FLC Members and Patrons are eligible for standard-priced screenings and events in this series. Learn more about becoming an FLC Member.
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