Directory of World Cinema: Africa

Sheila Petty

Description

Eschewing the postcolonial hubris that suggests Africa could only define itself in relation to its colonizers, a problem plaguing many studies published in the West on African cinema, this entry in the Directory of World Cinema series instead looks at African film as representing Africa for its own sake, values, and artistic choices.



With a film industry divided by linguistic heritage, African directors do not have the luxury of producing comedies, thrillers, horror films, or even love stories, except perhaps as DVDs that do not travel far outside their country of production. Instead, African directors tend to cover serious sociopolitical ground, even under the cover of comedy, in the hopes of finding funds outside Africa. Contributors to this volume draw on filmic representations of the continent to consider the economic role of women, rural exodus, economic migration, refugees and diasporas, culture, religion and magic as well as representations of children, music, languages and symbols.



A survey of national cinemas in one volume, Directory of World Cinema: Africa is a necessary addition to the bookshelf of any cinephile and world traveller. 

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Films of the Year

A Screaming Man

The Pirogue

Eighteen Days

Directors

Abderrahmane Sissako

Osvalde Lewat

Darrell Roodt

Francois Verster

Modes of Production

What is African Cinema? The Industries of African Cinema

French Funding and African Francophone Cinema

Bongo Movies: A Modern African Film Industry in Tanzania

Aesthetics

Scoring African Cinema

Locations: Authentic or Substituted

Festival Focus

Fespaco Film Festival

African Film Festivals Around the World

Drama

Documentary

Comedy

Social Issues

Childhood in African Cinema

Literary Adaptation

History and Film

Screening War, Surviving War

Africa Seen by ‘Outsiders’: Invention, Idea, Method

Surreal

(Home) Video Films from Nigeria and Ghana

Recommended Reading

African Cinema Online

Test Your Knowledge

Sujets

• Directories
• Película fotográfica
• Reference
• Cinema of Africa
• Directory
• History of film
• Film

Informations

• Publié par: Intellect Books
• Date de parution: 01 janvier 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781783203925
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 11 Mo

Extrait

DIRECTORY OF WORLD CINEMA

AFRICA EDITED BY BLANDINE STEFANSON AND SHEILA PETTY

Volume 30

dIrectory of world cInema afrIca

Edîted by Bandîne Stefanson and Sheîa Petty

Intellect Bristol, UK / Chicago, USA

Fîrst pubîshed în the UK în 2014 by Inteect Books, The Mî, Parna Road, Fîshponds, Brîsto, BS16 3JG, UK

Fîrst pubîshed în the USA în 2014 by Inteect Books, The Unîversîty of Chîcago Press, 1427 E. 60th Street, Chîcago, IL 60637, USA

Copyrîght © 2014 Inteect Ltd

A rîghts reserved. No part of thîs pubîcatîon may be reproduced, stored în a retrîeva system, or transmîtted, în any form or by any means, eectronîc, mechanîca, photocopyîng, recordîng, or otherwîse, wîthout wrîtten permîssîon.

A cataogue record for thîs book îs avaîabe from the Brîtîsh Lîbrary.

Pubîsher: May Yao Pubîshîng Managers: Jeena Stanovnîk and Heather Gîbson

Cover photograph:L’Extraordînaîre destîn de Madame Brouette/Madame Brouette(Moussa  Sene Absa, Canada/Senega/France, 2002) © Prod. de a Lanterne Cover desîgner: Hoy Rose Copy-edîtor: Emma Rhys Typesetter: John Teehan

Dîrectory of Word Cînema ISSN 2040-7971 Dîrectory of Word Cînema eISSN 2040-798X

Dîrectory of Word Cînema: Afrîca ISBN 978-1-78320-391-8 Dîrectory of Word Cînema: Afrîca eISBN 978-1-78320-392-5

Prînted and bound by Short Run Press, UK.

contents

dIrectory of world cInema

afrIca

aCkNOWLEDgEMENTS

INTRODUCTîON

5

6

sOCîàL ISSUES Essay Revîews

152

fîLMS OF ThE yEàR 10 chîLDhOOD îN aFRîCàN cîNEMà 190 A Screamîng Man Essay The Pîrogue Revîews Eîghteen Days lîTERàRY aDàpTàTîON 220 dîRECTORS 19 Essay Abderrahmane Sîssako Revîews Osvade Lewat Darre RoodtHîSTORY àND fîLM 254 Francoîs Verster Essay Revîews mODES OF PRODUCTîON 31 What îs Afrîcan Cînema? The 284sCREENîNg wàR, sURvîvîNg wàR  Industrîes of Afrîcan Cînema Essay French Fundîng and Afrîcan Revîews  Francophone Cînema Bongo Movîes: A Modern Afrîcan aFRîCà sEEN BY ‘oUTSîDERS’:  Fîm Industry în Tanzanîa 312IDEà, mEThOD  INvENTîON, Essay aESThETîCS 41Revîews Scorîng Afrîcan Cînema Locatîons: Authentîc or sURREàL 338  Substîtuted Essay Revîews fESTîvàL fOCUS 47 Fespaco Fîm Festîva  (HOME) VîDEO fîLMS FROM Afrîcan Fîm Festîvas Around  nîgERîà àND GhàNà 362  the Word Essay Revîews dRàMà 54 Essay 384rECOMMENDED rEàDîNg Revîews aFRîCàN cîNEMà oNLîNE 399 dOCUMENTàRY 86 EssaytEST yOUR KNOWLEDgE 406 Revîews nOTES oN cONTRîBUTORS 411 cOMEDY 120 EssayfîLMOgRàphY 418 Revîews contents

Dîrectory of Word Cînema

acKnowledGements

Dîrectory of Word Cînema

The edîtors wîsh to thank the dîrectors of Inteect Books, Masoud Yazdanî and May Yao for theîr înîtîatîve în creatîng the Word Cînema Dîrectory coectîon and for încudîng Afrîcan cînemas în thîs coectîon. Thanks are due to Inteect's edîtors and to a contrîbutors for theîr înterestîng im revîews and other entrîes, wîthout whîch the Dîrectory coud never have come to fruîtîon. Specîa mentîon must be made of some generous supporters of thîs project, în partîcuar, Meanîe Wîmînk, Saër Maty Bâ, Mîchae Carkîn, Madeaîne Hron, Sada Nîang and Rosa Abîdî. The pubîsher and the edîtors are gratefu to Corneîus Moore for hîs generous permîssîon to use hîs Caîfornîa Newsree coectîon of Afrîcan im stîs.

Acknowedgements5 acKnowledGements

Dîrectory of Word Cînema

6Afrîca

IntroductIon by tHe edItors

The publIsher’s decIsIons and the edItors’ solutIons

Inteect must be commended for theîr Dîrectory of Word Cînema serîes, a tîte that states îts întentîon to promote the cînemas of the word to a arge readershîp and does not refer to some unîied, transnatîona but non-Amerîcan stye of cînema as sometîmes does the phrase ‘word musîc’. The coectîon offers Afrîcan cînemas a rare occasîon to beneit from wordwîde exposure on equa terms wîth many better known cînemas. Outsîde western unîversîtîes that teach Afrîcan studîes and cîtîes that host Afrîcan im festîvas, Afrîcan cînema remaîns îtte known îf notterra încognîta,wîth the exceptîon, however, of some South Afrîcan and Egyptîan successes. Afrîcan cînema îs not în an exceptîona dead-end. A countrîes face încreasîng dîficuty dîstrîbutîng theîr ims, not ony abroad but even at home. Turan (2002: 8) expaîns how the im festîva proîferatîon îs a repacement dîstrîbutîon method for ack of means to conduct campaîgns wîth im stars and commercîa paraphernaîa. Even France does the round of im festîvas to market îts ims în the Engîsh-speakîng word. Let us hope thîs voume wî be an îmagînary, entîcîng and convenîent festîva of Afrîcan ims. The probematîc or composîte nature of Afrîcan cînema îs dîscussed în the next întroductory entry by Aîson McGufie: ‘What îs Afrîcan Cînema? The Industrîes of Afrîcan Cînema’. Thîs contrîbutor ooks înto the orîgîns of cînema made în Afrîca în the heydays of coonîzatîon, foowed by the emergence of îndependent Afrîcan im-makers: eîther post-îndependence auteurs that mosty rey on outsîde fundîng or, more recenty, sef-suficîent dîrectors-cum-producers who rey on vîdeo/dîgîta equîpment. Concurrenty, many educatîon and deveopment advocates – whether Afrîcan or foreîgn – contînue to make ims about Afrîca wîth oca government subsîdîes and/or înternatîona aîd. Ceebrated Senegaese dîrector Ousmane Sembène îs not îonîzed în thîs Dîrectory because many avaîabe pubîcatîons are devoted to hîm – Pfaff (1984), Petty (1996), Murphy (2000), and în partîcuar sînce hîs death în 2007,Présence Francophone 71 (2008),Afrîcutures76 (2009), Gadjîgo (2010) and Fofana (2013). The ‘Eder of the Eders’ no onger domînates the West Afrîcan im scene but the spîrît of hîs im- makîng survîves among the new generatîons. Many ims revîewed hereunder are repete wîth raw emotîons that are a the more powerfu because the narratîve means are not obfuscated by spectacuar stunts and machînery (wîth some South Afrîcan exceptîons). Inventîve and affordabe means of productîon combîned wîth cever scrîpts procure movîng scenes and surprîsîng twîsts of danger or kîndness. The three ‘ims of the year’ îustrate the topîcaîty and urgency of ims that poînt to Oîvîer Baret’s enîghtenîng formua – ‘’îmagînaîre de ’utopîe’ (‘îmagîned forms of utopîa’) – that suggests what Afrîcan cînema has to offer spectators throughout the

Dîrectory of Word Cînema

word (2012:10 – 13): some hope or reîef în the face of însurmountabe odds. These reatîvey recent ims – (Mahamat-Saeh Haroun’sUn Homme quî crîe/A Screamîng Man(Chad, 2010), Moussa Touré’sLa Pîrogue/The Pîrogue(Senega, 2012) and Tamantashar Yom/Eîghteen Days(a coectîve productîon from Egypt, 2011) – dea wîth urgent îssues such as competîtîon for empoyment even wîthîn famîîes and the hepessness or bravery that drîves peope to rîsk theîr îves by joînîng dangerous mîgratîon schemes or poîtîca rîots. These three ims, îke many others revîewed în the voume, ay out unusua optîons of despaîr or reconcîîatîon, poetry or aughter, and are deemed to confront other audîences wîth theîr own choîces. Inteect submîtted to the edîtors two chaengîng guîdeînes regardîng the structure of an Afrîcan voume în the Dîrectory of Word Cînema serîes: irst, the concept of a sînge voume for a contînent rather than natîona voumes, as îs the preferred format for even sma European countrîes such as Begîum or Denmark; second, the focus on im revîews as the backbone of the book. A thîrd edîtorîa decîsîon, namey the cassîicatîon of the im revîews înto im genres, was more negotîabe. The îdea of ookîng at Afrîcan im productîon on the contînenta scae îs îndeed a chaenge. Despîte the dîsproportîonate ambîtîon to broach so many cînemas and wîthout any deusîon of beîng faîr to some 58 Afrîcan countrîes, we dîd not want to dîvîde the voume înto chapters devoted to înguîstîc areas or natîona cînemas, as ît aready îs the most common approach to Afrîcan cînema. Indeed, countrîes such as South Afrîca, Egypt, Nîgerîa, Senega, Cameroon or Morocco have aready înspîred books on theîr natîona cînemas and coud sustaîn a voume of theîr own în the Dîrectory of Word Cînema serîes. Such compartmentaîzed presentatîon în the Afrîcan Dîrectory woud, however, repîcate the segmented vîew of Afrîca deined by the former coonîa empîres and woud aso excude many countrîes that woud not have enough ims to justîfy a chapter yet have demonstrated theîr potentîa im- makîng capabîîty, for exampe Chad, Gabon or Maawî. Eventuay, just as Inteect have aready pubîshed a voume on South Amerîca aongsîde Latîn Amerîcan natîona voumes (Argentîna, Cuba), îndîvîdua Afrîcan countrîes remaîn a ater optîon for the coectîon. The irst îrksome decîsîon we had to make, as edîtors, pertaîned to the concept of Afrîca. In Afrîcan studîes, ît îs now commonpace to subscrîbe to Mudîmbe’s concept of ‘înventîon’ of Afrîca,to borrow hîs most famous tîte,The Inventîon of Afrîca(1988) to approprîate the notîon that Afrîca was învented by the West for expoîtatîon purposes. The dîvîde between North Afrîca and sub-Saharan Afrîca îs aso a western concept. ‘Sub-Saharan Afrîca’ may have been a convenîent phrase în tîtes on Afrîcan studîes (încudîng ims studîes) to deine the arbîtrary separatîon of ‘Arab Afrîca’ from ‘Back Afrîca’, but thîs racîa concept îs not supported by Afrîcans. Contemporary Afrîcan poîtîca înstîtutîons such as the Afrîcan Unîon Organîsatîon (AUO), whîch was re-founded as Afrîcan Unîon (AU) în 2001, im festîvas and sports events do not make thîs separatîon between north and south of the Sahara. On the poîtîca front, ‘Back’ Afrîcan countrîes at varîous tîmes eected Hosnî Mubarak from Egypt and Muammar Gaddai from Lîbya as Presîdent of AUO and AU, perhaps because both Egypt and Lîbya had more inancîa means to host înternatîona meetîngs. Conversey, în Juy 2013, the Afrîcan Unîon excuded Egypt from îts membershîp în retaîatîon agaînst the mîîtary deposîtîon of eected Presîdent Morsî. The poîtîca and cutura înterconnectîon between North Afrîca and sub-Saharan Afrîca has become a dramatîc reaîty for neîghbourîng countrîes, such as Chad throughout the 1990s as we as Maî and Nîger în 2013. On the cutura sîde, the two great Afrîcan im festîvas (FESPACO în Ouagadougou [Burkîna Faso] and Journées Cînématographîques de Carthage [JCC, Tunîsîa]) aternate years and grant theîr awards upon merît to im-makers from eîther the Maghreb or sub-Saharan Afrîca încudîng South Afrîca.

Introductîon7

Dîrectory of Word Cînema

8Afrîca

In recent years, academîcs and im crîtîcs have become more aware of the need to repudîate the concept of North Afrîca as beîng part of the Mîdde East rather than Afrîca. Researcher assocîatîons, such as Saharan Crossroads, organîze conferences on the hîstorîca înks between north and south of the Sahara (WARA 2013). Thîs trend îs aso notîceabe în recent pubîcatîons on Afrîcan cînema. Roy Armes’s survey of new generatîons of dîrectors înAfrîcan Fîmmakîng: North and South of the Sahara(2006) and Oîvîer Baret’sLe cînéma d’Afrîque des années 2000(pubîshed în 2012), have beneited from ookîng at Afrîca as a whoe, even though these authors’ motîvatîon coud have been practîca sînce the tota number of Afrîcan ims produced per year gets a heathy boost from the încusîon of arabophone countrîes înto the Afrîcan contînent. Our voume’s încusîon of a few ims from the Maghreb heîghtens cutura and thematîc afinîtîes wîthout caîmîng to învestîgate întercutura înks. Out of thîs întermîxîng of ims from a over the contînent, some countrîes that are not usuay paced sîde by sîde emerge as havîng a comparabe im herîtage, îf not a comparabe productîvîty. Agerîa, Angoa and South Afrîca, who have suffered bîtter îberatîon wars because they were settement coonîes, are rîch în im adaptatîons that încude hîstorîca and poîtîca dramas. Lîberatîon îterature preceded and înspîred the deveopment of protest cînema în these countrîes as attested by Ahmed Rachedî’s,L’Opîum et e bâton/A-afyun wa-asa/Opîum and the Stîck(1969) revîewed în the chapter ‘Hîstory and Fîm’ as we as Sarah Madoror’sSambîzanga(1972) and Ramadan Sueman’sFoos(1997) revîewed în the chapter ‘Lîterary Adaptatîon’. A dîctîonary în aphabetîca order woud presume that readers aready know most im- makers or im tîtes they want to read about. Roy Armes (2008: 5) coated înformatîon on 1,250 im-makers and 4,500 Afrîcan feature ims from 37 countrîes. The present Dîrectory does not caîm any such înventory and endeavours to deine varîous types of ims from the contînent.The advantage of revîews over a hîstorîca surveyîs that rather than skîmmîng over the productîon from afar by mentîonîng numerous tîtes, the Dîrectory focuses on some 130 ims ony. Specîaîst revîewers gîve the readers compusîve reasons to see the ims by provîdîng înformatîon on the hîstorîca and cutura background of each im and/or anaysîs of im-makîng mosty achîeved on a shoestrîng.

RatIonale for the chapters

The cassîicatîon recommended by Inteect îs based on genres, as deined by the Brîtîsh Fîm Instîtute. Hîstorîcay, thîs concept of cassîicatîon emanated from Ango-Amerîcan productîon companîes that decîded to make popuar genre ims for proit. It does not at irst gance appy to Afrîcan countrîes where a im project usuay comes from îndîvîduas who are înspîred to represent theîr Afrîcan reaîty wîthout any trîed-and-trusted mode. Indeed, we had few opportunîtîes to procure a name for the entry ‘studîo’ în the revîews’ data îst, and many Afrîcan productîon companîes entered for ‘producers’ are în fact owned by the im-makers themseves. Nevertheess, the need to cassîfy ims înto genres has prompted some crîtîcs to perceîve vîage storîes set în the Sahe as ‘Fespaco ims’ or even more condescendîngy ‘caabash ims’. Férîd Boughedîr (2000: 120) aso made fun of ims steeped în magîc, as though ît were a requîrement of western donors în search of the pîcturesque. We shoud perhaps thînk of trends rather than genres to deine partîcuar contexts. Survîva în the cîty may supersede the search for îdentîty that characterîzed the 1980s – the ‘return to the sources’ (Dîawara 1992) – sînce many ims of the ast decade are set în Afrîcan capîtas rather than vîages. We have opted for a compromîse between genres and themes for three maîn reasons. Fîrst, many revîews coud be paced în one category or the other because they combîne varîous structures and technîques that deine separate genres (drama, comedy and documentary). Feature ims structured îke documentarîes are favoured by severa