The ninth annual Africa in Motion Film Festival this year explores the theme of ‘Looking back, reaching forward’. As Scotland’s major celebration of African cinema, it showcases classic and contemporary fiction, diverse short films, insightful documentaries and stunning animations in a range of venues across Glasgow and Edinburgh, including the Glasgow Film Theatre, the Centre for Contemporary Arts, Summerhall and the Filmhouse.
The Festival opens in Edinburgh on 24 Oct with the UK premiere of Soleils (Suns) , a beautiful and philosophical film that takes us on a journey across Africa through time, made by celebrated director Dani Kouyate from Burkina Faso.
A major strand of this year’s Festival will be a focus on 20 years of South African democracy, featuring live performances as part of Afrovibes, a UK-wide tour of South African live performance, with accompanying ‘Township Cafés’ which will act as festival hubs in the Glasgow’s Centre for Contemporary Arts (CCA) and Edinburgh’s Summerhall. Each café will host a lively mix of late-night music, pop-up performances, debates, delicious South African food and free family workshops. The films featured in South Africa at 20 will then embark on a UK-wide tour entitled South Africa at 20: The Freedom Tour from October 2014 – February 2015.
Other strands include a focus on Rwandan cinema that marks 20 years since the Rwandan genocide. It will feature a masterclass from pioneering Rwandan filmmaker Eric Kabera; a retrospective of overlooked African classics including the 1928 silent film Siliva The Zulu, performed with a specially composed live soundtrack from Nigerian musician Juwon Ogunbe, launching the new book Africa’s Lost Classics: New Histories of African Cinema. There will also be the rare chance to catch African science fiction movies, in conjunction with the BFI’s Days of Fear and Wonder. nation-wide sci fi season.
In addition to the main city centre venues, throughout the Festival the AiM Nomad Cinema will wander into new and inspiring venues around Scotland, unpacking cinema magic and enthralling a diverse range of audiences with African cinema. It will journey across communities, holding screenings in a diverse range of places.
Festival Founder and Adviser, Lizelle Bisschoff, says, “This year we are very excited to bring to Scotland a diverse array of inspiring, innovative and beautiful stories from across the African continent. …this year’s festival has something for everyone!”
This year’s Festival will launch on 29th September and runs from 24 October - 9 November. To view the full programme and book tickets, visit www.africa-in-motion.org.uk.