Presented University of British Columbia and The Cinematheque, a “New Wave in African Cinema” is an upcoming Vancouver film screening series that will take place from November 1-3 and 5-7.
The New Wave in African Cinema film series is a joint production of the University of British Columbia and The Cinematheque, and funded by the generous support of UBC African Studies, The Cinematheque, the Liu Institute for Global Issues, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. This series will bring ten feature films and ten short films to Vancouver screens from November 1-7, 2013.
In the past few years, a new wave of African filmmaking has changed the landscape of African cinema dramatically. The weight and extent of this shift has largely gone unnoticed, particularly as the programming of African cinema internationally is often sporadic and idiosyncratic. The new wave in African cinema is characterized by a younger generation of filmmakers who are engaging in a much more philosophically personal, visually daring, and intellectually engaged form of filmmaking than previous generations. These films, while taking on some of the same subject matter as their predecessors, privilege interiority and poetics over the more didactic or overtly political and nation-building approaches of past cinematic production. Seen together, these films herald a new wave of African cinema led by directors from across the continent who confine themselves neither to a purely African space nor to the diaspora but are deeply committed to the contemporary social, political, and moral questions facing the continent.
As part of the film series, we are thrilled to have several directors from across the African continent joining us in Vancouver to participate in screenings and question-and-answer sessions with the audience.
This week-long event will also include several workshops and panel discussions at the University of British Columbia bringing together students, scholars, practitioners, filmmakers, and members of the public to discuss the state of African cinema and the engagement of cinema with pressing social, historical, economic and political concerns. For more information and full programme details, please consult the UBC African Studies website.
