Kwaku Ananse | Ghanaian Mythology

Kwaku Ananse is a film based on a fable of creature who is a spider and man. Ananse, as many call him, is common in many Ghanaian myths and stories. Kwaku Ananse tells the story of Nyan Koronhwea, a young woman who attends her estranged father's funeral. Nyan's father had two separate lives with two wives and two families - one in Ghana and one in the United States. The film incorporates a reoccurring theme of duality, teaching that there are two sides to everything and everyone. Kwaku Ananse was recently selected for the Berlin International Film Festival and is up for the Golden Bear Prize for Best Short Film. 

Watch the trailer below:

For updates on the Kwaku Ananse film, visit the Facebook page.

A Lot Like You | Exploring Culture, Identity, and Gender

A Lot Like You is a film about a woman's search for her cultural identity. Born into a Tanzanian-Korean interracial family, Eliaichi Kimaro travels to Tanzania to learn about her father's culture. There she discovers stories of women who struggle in a society that oppresses them and is forced to face her own past as a victim of abuse.

Winner of 6 film festival awards, A Lot LikeYou is praised for its fresh, inspiring narration of a personal exploration of identity within a mixed-race background. The film covers postcolonial and immigrant stories as well as stories of culture and gender violence.

Watch the trailer below:

Read more about A Lot Like You.

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30% |  A Film About Women and Politics in Sierra Leone
Madam President | The Future of Malawi

Madam President | The Future of Malawi

Directed by Nick Francis and Marc Francis, Madam President is a film about Malawi's President Joyce Banda and her efforts to lead Malawi as the first female president. The 12 min film explores the challenges that President Banda faces as she mobilizes her resources to create positive change for Malawi. The camera follows her as she visits supporters in Southern Malawi, meets key donors in Brussels, and spends time with women on Mother's Day.

Watch the film, Madam President below:

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30% | A Film About Women and Politics in Sierra Leone

South African film, Iyeza | Sundance Film Festival 2013

Directed by Zimbabwean artist Kudzanai Chiurai, Iyeza is an allegory of the Last Supper depicting the establishment of a new nation-state. The film explores the African condition by juxtaposing the past and the present of a continent in the grip of violent civil wars. A trailer has not been released for this film yet, but once it is we will share.

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Art & Politics | Kudzania Chiurai's Provocative Artwork

30% | A Film About Women and Politics in Sierra Leone

30% is a short film which tells the story of a 10 year battle to gain fair representation for women in the governance of Sierra Leone. The significant gap in the representation of women in government is an issue which is common worldwide. According to The Independent, Rwanda is the best place in the world for women to be politicians because it is the only country in which females make up the majority of parliamentarians with 45 out of 80 seats. The UK ranked as 45th, behind Pakistan and United Arab Emirates. The worst countries were Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Qatar, Oman and Belize which have no women in parliament.

Within the context of Sierra Leone's politics we learn about individuals like Dr. Bernadette Lahai, Salamatu Kamara, and Barbara Bangura who each face challenges in their efforts to achieve equality. The film transitions seamlessly between oil painted animation by Em Cooper and live action video by Anna Cady which creates some captivating visual effects.

Watch the official trailer here:

30% is an official for the 2013 Sundance Film Festival in the Shorts Competition. The film was commissioned by Pathways for Women's Empowerment and Screen South, while funded by Real World Films. To learn more about the situation in  Sierra Leone, you can read the case study written by Pathways. 

You can watch the full short film on IMDB here.

Eaten By The Heart | The Progress Of Love

The Progress Of Love is a three-part transatlantic exhibition which explores how today's African artists reflect on universal emotions in a changing global society. The exhibition is hosted by The Menil Collection (in Houston, USA), The Pullitzer Foundation for the Arts (in St. Louis, USA), and the Centre for Contemporary Art (in Lagos, Nigeria). As part of the series at The Menil Collection, Eaten By The Heart is a video installation by Zina Saro-Wiwa which explores the views of Africans on kissing.

Differences in Practice of Kissing

There is a notable difference between generations, in terms of the views towards kissing as an expression of affection. In Part 1 of Eaten By The Heart (shown below), the participants describe the familiarity they have with the practice. The general awkwardness surrounding the idea would seem a little strange to those living in areas where kissing is equated with an expression of love. Anthropologists believe that kissing began in India and they reference Amazonian tribes who are still not accustomed to the practice. Perhaps our exposure to kissing in Western societies has conditioned us to expect and enjoy it as a form of love. The implications of this are quite fascinating.

Watch Part 1 of Eaten By The Heart:

Heartbreak & Expressions of Love

The video installation progresses to address topics of heartbreak. I found the responses very poetic and a beautiful communication of various appreciations of love beyond the customary kiss. The tender, vulnerable facial expressions provided visible hints of profound experiences of love and hurt. 

Adopting the practice of kissing

One participant suggested the idea that Africans “borrowed” kissing from the Europeans to “complete our love”. However the increased acceptance and use of kissing is more likely to have been the result of globalization and the decreasingly conservative disposition of younger generations.

Read more on The Progress Of Love in this post.

Native Sun | Short Film by Blitz The Ambassador & Terence Nance

Directed by Terence Nance and Blitz the Ambassador, Native Sun* tells the story of a young boy who sets off on a quest to find his father soon after his mother's death. Shot in Ghana, the film follows the character as he journeys from his small village in Tamale to the big city of Accra. Native Sun is also the name of Blitz the Ambassador's album, which is the soundtrack to the film.

After seeing the 20-min short film, one important element that stands out to me is the realistic and relevant portrayal of Ghana in the story. We see a combination of scenes in a village, in the city, the slums and in a lavish house. Blitz the Ambassador also released a 4-min music video for Best I Can featuring Corneille, which doubles as a trailer for the short film. 

Watch Native Sun here:

*Sidenote: I love the typeface used for Native Sun. The clean letter design and the African fabric really add a dazzling, colourful, eye-catching design factor.

What are your thoughts on the film? What did you think about the alluding of the king to corrupt political leaders? How did you interpret the ending? Do share in the comments below.

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[Short Film] Terence Nance's award-winning An Oversimplification of Her Beauty

The Perfect Blues | Jesse Boykins III

Directed by Dr.Woo, The Perfect Blues starrs Jesse Boykins III, an emerging musician with a voice of love. I have been a fan of Jesse Boykins III and the work of Dr.Woo for a really long time. Each song and each musical short film demonstrates a carefully constructed work of art, and exudes the vibrant creative souls of these artists. The Perfect Blues is from the 'Zulu Guru' album which also features musicians Melo-X and Mara Rhuby.

The album is available for purchase here. 

You can find out more about Jesse Boykins III here and Dr.Woo here.

In Between Stories | Short Documentary

In Between Stories is a short 20-min documentary that features four young artists from the African diaspora communities in Toronto, Canada. This film touches on issues including media representations of Africa, experiences of second-generation immigrant youth and the role of storytelling. As they navigate through the different narratives that make up their lives, they share what it means to be a young African in today's society.

As a Ghanaian-Canadian, I relate very much to the artists and to the stories that they tell. My compassion for Ghana and my continent has led me to be proactive by sharing stories to influence the generally negatively-biased narrative offered by the media. I also find myself in the middle of both countries in terms of identity. I appreciate how this has made me open-minded, observant and aware as a result of it.

What do you think about this? Are there any other ways that Africans in the diaspora can change the narrative? Let me know in the comments below.

Film | Monsieur Lazhar

Monsieur Lazhar is an award-winning film, which tells the story of a Montreal middle school class shaken by the death of their well-liked teacher. Monsieur Lazhar, a 55-year old Algerian immigrant is hired as a substitute teacher. As he helps the children heal, he also learns to accept this own painful past. The film  was an official selection at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, an 2012 Academy Award Nominee, as well as the winner of several awards at the Toronto International Film Festival 2011, the Locarno Film Festival 2011.

For more on Monsieur Lazhar, visit the official website.

Also check out:
New Boy | A story about a Rwandan refugee boy who starts school in Ireland.

Ava DuVernay | Middle of Nowhere

The Sundance film festival presents the exciting, award-winning Middle of Nowhere. Director Ava DuVernay, is the first African-American woman to be awarded Best Director at the festival. The film  tells the story of a woman's journey to maintain her identity and her marriage during her husband's incarceration. Starring, Omari Hardwick and Emayatzy Corinealdi, this complicated love story offers a unique perspective into the lives of women who lose their husbands, brothers, and fathers to jail. 

Watch the Official Teaser Here:

Middle of Nowhere will be in theatres on October 12, 2012. 

For more information on the show times, visit AFFRM.

Love this film? Also check out:

Restless City, I Will Follow and Kinyarwanda

An Oversimplification of Her Beauty | Short Film by Terence Nance

Terence Nance's creative debut feature, documents the relationship between Terence and a lovely young woman (Namik Minter) as it teeters on the divide between platonic and romantic. Utilizing a tapestry of live action and various styles of animation, Terence explores the fantasies, emotions, and memories that race through his mind during a singular moment in time. 

Watch the film trailer here:

The film will premier in the New Frontiers section of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. 

**Update: The film has been an official selection for numerous film festivals including the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, the Portugal Underground Film Festival, and the 2012 Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

The Robot Artists | A Short Documentary

The Robot Artists is a short documentary by African Cartel which showcases a group of Zimbabwean artists whose marketplace is centered around a traffic light intersection in Cape Town, South Africa. The documentary tells the story of their struggles with xenophobia, and their accomplishments as artists.

Watching this, I can't help but admire the artists for their determined consistency. To find out more about the artists and purchase their work, visit African Cartel. 

Short Film: Blik

In this 2010 short film directed by Bastiaan Schravendeel, and created by Polder Animation, a young boy moves to a new neighbourhood and falls in love for the first time, with the much older girl next door.

Have you got a favourite short film? Comment below or email me and tell me about it.
I'd love to hear from you!

Short Film: Days Like This - Washing Hands

The touching tale of a white South African woman as she attends mass in a black township.

Dir: Joel Simon / 2008 / Northern Ireland

A Journey Through Vietnam

A Journey Through Vietnam by Leon Visser

Splitscreen: A Love Story

I love the simplicity of this short film. It reminds me of our delicate, fragile nature as humans and our universal need for love and acceptance. This film was shot entirely on a mobile phone and is the winner of the Nokia Shorts competition 2011.

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The Pursuit of Cool

From the schoolyard kids to the marketers everybody wants to get close to the cool guy, so what defines cool? R+I Creative presents "The Pursuit Of Cool", a short series about sharing and meeting cool people with stories. 

"There is no algorithm to define cool, you just know it when you see it".

Music: Statik  Selektah - The Thrill is Gone Instrumental

Typography: Defining Its Importance and Affects

Off Book by PBS Art presents one of my favourite documentaries on Typography. The mini documentary features typeface designers, graphic designers, and infographic designers, who outline the importance of selecting the right font to convey a particular feeling, building identity in messaging, and using texture to create reaction.

[via DesignTAXI]


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Influencers

Influencers is a short documentary that explores what it means to be an influencer and how trends and creativity become contagious today in music, fashion, and entertainment. The film attempts to understand the essence of influence, what makes a person influential without taking a statistical or metric approach. 

INFLUENCERS FULL VERSION from R+I creative on Vimeo.

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