London International Pan-African Film Festival (London PAFF 2024) showcasing outstanding Pan-African films produced in Africa and the Diaspora (Europe, Caribbean countries, USA, Latina America), and from all over the world, at the West Norwood Picturehouse from 18 to 25 October 2024. See today’s line-up below!
15h10 KIJANI (GREEN)
Alphonce Haule, Animation Short Film (Tanzania) 2023, 10 min
Heri's town is faced with great destruction. There is no food, drought has faced the land and the temperatures keep on increasing. The council's solution is to move towns, but they are shocked to hear that the whole world is experiencing the adverse side effects of climate change and there is nowhere to run to. Who will save the people in Heri's town?
15h25 THE SACRED ART MOUVEMENT
Festus Toll, Documentary Short Film (Nigeria) 2023, 46 min
Susanne Wenger was born in Austria in 1915 and became known as the "white priestess of a sacred riverside deep within Africa." However, she was not only a spiritual figure but also a highly regarded artist in both Austria and Africa. On 12 January 2009, she passed on at the age of 93 in Oshogbo. The New Sacred Art Movement, founded by Wenger, continues to carry on her heritage of sacred art in the Osun Groves.
16h12 TO END ALL SPELLS
Nana Kwabena & Zak Cedarholm, Narrative Short Film (USA) 2024, 15 min
Amidst her village nearing the brink of extinction, an unforgiving desert warrior fights to protect the legacy of Palve, a sacred psychedelic fruit that connects its indigenous to the spiritual realm. The only way to experience the effects of this scarce and forbidden hallucinogenic is through the remaining villagers greatest form of protection; their hair.
16h40 GO IN PEACE
Jean Gaspa, Narrative Short Film (France) 14 min
Evens, a young man as imperfect as he is endearing, accompanies his mother to the Haitian consulate in Paris. Feeling uneasy, he tries as best he can to shorten their visit while his mother works behind his back.
16h55 OUR DAY + Q&A
Akua Abedi-Boafo, Narrative Short Film (United Kingdom), 2024, 19 min
David and Kofi go on an adventure through the heartbeat of Accra to get Davids first kiss with his crush.
17h35 A THOUSAND AND ONE BERBER NIGHTS
Hisham Aïdi, Documentary Feature Film (USA), 2023, 53 min
In the late 1950s Hassan Ouakrim was a young dancer and actor in Morocco. Little did he know that he would soon become the protegé of La Mama Theatre founder Ellen Stewart, performing across America, forming friendships with the likes of jazz virtuosos Ornette Coleman and Randy Weston, and becoming a pioneer in spreading Berber dance and music in North America.
18h30 RECLAIMING HISTORY: COLONIAL ROOTS OF THE GENOCIDE IN RWANDAN + Q&A
Samuel Ishimwe & Matthias Frickel, Documentary Feature Film (Germany/Rwanda), 2024, 1h25min
Rwandan director and filmmaker Samuel Ishimwe goes in search of the origins of the "racial hatred" between the Tutsi and Hutu communities: "We speak the same language, share the same culture, the same country - what drove us apart?" 30 years after the genocide, peace now prevails in Rwanda. President Kagame’s policies have worked to break down adherence to Hutu and Tutsi identities. Does this mean that the country’s dark past and the distrust that long simmered between the groups has now been overcome?
20h10 LOTTERY LOVE + Q&A
Mlungisi Mhlanga, Narrative Feature Film (South Africa), 2024, 1h13 min
In the vibrant heart of KwaMashu, KwaZulu Natal, feisty Buhle becomes the unwitting key to her persistent ex's lottery jackpot win and, driven by a mix of selfishness and desperation, embarks on a daring journey to snatch the winning ticket from Xolani, risking friendships and love in a high-stakes game.
