Seeing Africa Through African Eyes: the New York African Film Festival encourages cultural dialogue.For over a decade, the New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of African Film Festival, Inc. has been introducing African cinema
 This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. to ever-growing appreciative audiences in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . Over a two-week period in April, the Festival features films by African filmmakers and documentaries on cultural and human rights issues with an African context. The African Film Festival, Inc., a non-profit arts organization headed by founder-Director Mahen Bonetti (see interview on next page), promotes understanding of the diversity of African cultures and contributes to giving African filmmakers around the world a recognized presence in New York. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Since its first celebration in 1993, the African Film Festival (AFF AFF Affectionate AFF Affirmative AFF Adult FriendFinder (website) AFF American FactFinder (US Census data retrieval system) AFF Accelerated Free Fall (type of skydiving training) ) has explored a range of subjects, from transformations of rural/urban identity to African women to retrospectives of established African filmmakers. The 2004 Festival opened with two films about the struggle against corruption: "Critical Assignment" (2003), one of Africa's first big-budget pictures; and "Agogo Agogo may refer to:
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The tension between rural tradition and urban appreciation is the hallmark of African cinema. Filmmakers draw from folklore, myth, fantasy and magic to communicate a distinctly African sensibility that blends aesthetic experimentation, humour and biting social critique. The AFF seeks to nurture appreciation of African cinema through affordable screenings in public and educational settings. During the summer in New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. , the Outdoor Screenings bring films directly to neighbourhoods with limited cultural resources, as well as to community-based cultural institutions and parks. These screenings serve as an education outreach Education outreach is a variation of Cause Marketing and/or Strategic Philanthropy and other focused Public Affairs activities that are specific to education. These programs may include:
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It has created on its web site an online archive with brief descriptions of African films. The AFF Archive is a library of screenings going back to the Festival's inauguration in 1993. The website further offers year-round event information, review articles, production notes, interviews and essays related to African media, culture and history. Perhaps the most valuable educational resource AFF has produced is the anthology Through African Eyes: Dialogues with the Directors, available on its web site. The anthology surveys filmmaking film·mak·ing n. The making of movies. in Africa through twenty candid conversations with celebrated filmmakers, ranging from pioneers to the new generation experimenting with digital media. For more information on the African Film Festival, visit its web site at www.africanfilmny.org |
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