Africa Through the Lens of Fiction and Film

Africa Through the Lens of Fiction and Film
Friday 6 October, 18:00
The Cube Cinema, Dove St S, Avon, Bristol BS2 8JD
£7 / £6 concs

An evening of film and discussion, with delicious Nigerian food.

Panel Discussion with Kivu Ruhorahoza, Yaba Badoe, and Ingrid Sinclair.

Ahead of a screening of Biyi Bandele’s recent adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s acclaimed novel Half of a Yellow Sun and Ingrid Sinclair’s short Riches, a panel of writers and filmmakers discuss the intersection of film and literature about and in Africa. How do creative processes compare and move across screen and text? How does financing work and differ for these media? What are the political implications of putting Africa on-screen in an era of ‘spectacle culture’ and ‘poverty porn’? What are the challenges of putting literary fiction onscreen, and what different roles have poets and novelists had in shaping filmic representations of Africa?

Screenings:

Riches (26 min)

A short film inspired by the influential writer Bessie Head, following the story of Molly McBride and her son Peter’s journey from apartheid South Africa to an isolated school in Zimbabwe. She finds life tough and the villagers hostile and conservative. Molly’s clash with the hypocritical headmaster leaves her jobless and in despair, but a simple gesture of friendship from one of the poorest members of the community inspires her to fight back and claim her place within her new society.

Half of a Yellow Sun (111 min)

With video introduction by director Biyi Bandele.

An epic adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s landmark novel starring Thandie Newton and Chiwetel Ejiofor. In the late 1960s twin sisters Olanna (Newton) and Kainene (Anika Noni Rose) arrive back home in Nigeria, having finished their studies in England. While Olanna moves in with her boyfriend, professor Odenigbo (Ejiofor), and his young houseboy, Ugwu (John Boyega), Kainene becomes a businesswoman and gets involved with British writer Richard (Joseph Mawle). When the Nigerian Civil War breaks out the sisters’ lives are changed forever. Bandele’s brilliantly realised film explores moral responsibility, the end of colonialism, ethnic allegiances, race and class — and how love can complicate them all.

In partnership with Afrika Eye

Tickets: £7 on The Cube website

Part of Africa Writes Pop-Up: Bristol – the festival presenting an exciting series of events celebrating contemporary African literature and thought, 6-7 October. With book launches, film screenings, discussions, family activities, workshops, and a poetry night, the festival brings you a vibrant programme showcasing the best new writing from the continent and the diaspora.

from Africa Writes http://ift.tt/2jIvgH2

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