March 2-4
Cinemas of the Scattered African Diaspora: Africa Beyond
presented by the Community Media Project
5pm ** FREE **
Al’Aleessi, An African Actress
(by Rahmatou Keita - Niger, 2004, 69 minutes)
Zalika Souley lives with four children in a two-bedroom apartment with neither electricity nor water in Niamey, Niger. But thirty years ago, Souley was the celebrated bad girl of African cinema, a movie star and Africa’s first professional female actress. More than a simple chronicle of Souley’s extraordinary career, the film is a moving homage to the heyday of Nigerian cinema.
Approx. 6pm ** FREE **
Sweet Honey in the Rock: Raise Your Voice
(by Stanley Nelson - USA, 2004, 83 minutes)
Filmmaker Stanley Nelson captures the history of African-American a cappella group Sweet Honey In The Rock and follows their 30th anniversary concert tour. The film includes footage from concerts, rehearsals, the tour bus and the daily life of the members: Carol Maillard seeing her son off to his high school prom, Nitanju Bolade Casel singing to her son in the morning, Ysaye Maria Barnwell leading a community singing workshop. After Bernice Johnson Reagon announces her retirement, the other members of Sweet Honey hold auditions for a new member. The movie includes the encore from their final concert with her performing with the group.
Sweet Honey in the Rock: Raise Your Voice
(by Stanley Nelson - USA, 2004, 83 minutes)
Filmmaker Stanley Nelson captures the history of African-American a cappella group Sweet Honey In The Rock and follows their 30th anniversary concert tour. The film includes footage from concerts, rehearsals, the tour bus and the daily life of the members: Carol Maillard seeing her son off to his high school prom, Nitanju Bolade Casel singing to her son in the morning, Ysaye Maria Barnwell leading a community singing workshop. After Bernice Johnson Reagon announces her retirement, the other members of Sweet Honey hold auditions for a new member. The movie includes the encore from their final concert with her performing with the group.