PHILADELPHIA, PA ‐‐‐ Cinémathèque Internationale of Philadelphia (www.cinemathequip.com) has launched a new film series in collaboration with the African American Museum of Philadelphia (http://aampmuseum.org/). Beginning in July 2012, Cinémathèque will present one film every third Thursday of the month to be screened at the museum, located at 701 Arch St. Philadelphia, PA 19106.

The first series begins with Ousmane Sembene’s seminal Black Girl from 1966. August will bring Moustapha Diop’s The Doctor from Gafire (1986). Jean‐Marie Téno’s 1993 political documentary Africa, I Will Fleece You!, Djibril Diop Mambéty’s surreal allegory Hyenas (1992), and Issa Traore de Brahima’s 2006 The World is a Ballet, fill out the rest of the program.

The initial series ends in December with the locally shot Night Catches Us, a Black Panther narrative starring Anthony Mackie. Director Tanya Hamilton will be in attendance for a Q&A following the film.

“The program includes films from Senegal, Niger, Burkina Faso, Cameroon and the United States,” says programmer Neal Dhand. “It’s a great reflection of our combined mission: bring films, some of which have never been screened in Philadelphia, to a larger audience and open a discussion on the politics and issues at play, as well as the evolving cinematic values in African filmmaking and how they compare to the aesthetics that an American audience is accustomed to.”

Fans of repertory cinema will be particularly interested in titles like The Doctor From Gafire, Africa, I Will Fleece You!, and The World is a Ballet, none of which ever received domestic distribution and will be screened publicly in Philadelphia for the first time.

For more information please visit www.cinemathequeip.com and http://aampmuseum.org.