For immediate release — April 27, 2010
(DALLAS) — Free, family-friendly films are the focus of the 2010 African Film Festival, which will be presented on Saturday, May 1, by the DFW International Community Alliance at the Southern Methodist University Meadows School of the Arts. The film festival — part of the three-week African Unity Festival — will feature four films in their original language with English subtitles that explore African women’s issues and music’s role in the struggle for justice. The Dallas County Community College District supports the African Film Festival as an education partner with SMU’s Meadows School of the Arts and Western Union.
The free films will be shown from 1 to 6:30 p.m. at SMU, 6101 Bishop Blvd. Interspersed among the movies, two panel discussions will explore cultural and historic issues of the films, focusing on African women’s rights and music’s role in the struggle for justice.
The event is free and open to the public — students, families and community members are welcome to attend. Parking is free as well, either in front of the SMU Meadows School of the Arts or in the Meadows Museum parking garage at 5900 Bishop Blvd.
The schedule includes:
Theater 1
- “Inch Allah Dimanche” (Algeria), 1 p.m. — Arriving in France with her three children, Zouina is sent away to live in a house that her husband has rented. She quickly realizes that he will not allow her to leave the house and that she is under the constant supervision of a domineering mother-in-law. Without friends or family, Zouina finds her only source of relief is on Sunday when her husband and mother-in-law leave for the day. (Award winner, 2001 Toronto International Film Festival)
- “Moolaade” (Burkina Faso), 2:30 p.m. — Senagalese writer and director Ousmane Sembene makes an impassioned plea in his film against the practice of salinde, or female circumcision, through his portrayal of a society in transition. In a West African village run by uncompromising Muslim males, Colle provides safe harbor for young girls fleeing their “cleansing” rituals. This “minor domestic issue,” as it is described by one man, drives the entire town to the brink of bloodshed. (Award winner, 2002 Sundance Film Festival)
- Panel discussion on women’s issues, 4 p.m.
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Theater 2
- “Amadla! A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony” (South Africa), 1 p.m. — Interviews, archival footage and filmed performances highlight the role of music in the South African struggle against apartheid — songs that united those who were being oppressed and that gave those who were fighting a way to express their plight. The music also consoled those who were incarcerated and created an effective underground form of communication inside prisons. (Award winner, 2002 Sundance Film Festival)
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- “Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love” (Senegal, Egypt), 2:30 p.m. — Youssou N’Dour, at the height of his career, became frustrated by the negative perception of his Muslim faith and decided to compose “Egypt,” a deeply spiritual album dedicated to a more tolerant view of Islam. The album’s musical message was embraced by Western audiences but ignited religious controversy in his homeland of Senegal. The film chronicles the difficult journey that Youssou undertook to assume his true calling. (Award winner, 2002 Nashville Film Festival)
- Panel discussion on contemporary music and the struggle for justice, 4 p.m.
- “Amadla! A Revolution in Four-Part Harmony” (South Africa), 5 p.m.
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The African Unity Festival continues the weekend of May 8 with a soccer tournament and then with Family Day on Sunday, May 16, from 1 to 6 p.m. at Reverchon Park, located at 3501 Maple Ave. in Dallas; the event is free and open to the public. Families are invited to bring a picnic lunch, blankets and chairs, Frisbees and balls. Activities will include a Parade of Nations, children’s games, cultural performances from 10 countries, presentation of African Leadership awards, a raffle, a drum circle and a presentation of medals and the African Unity Cup.
For more information, visit the 2010 African Film Festival website or call Anne Marie Weiss Armush with the DFW International Community Alliance at (972) 661-2764.
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Press Contact: Ann Hatch
214-378-1819;
ahatch@dcccd.edu
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