the fifteenth New York African Film Festival
Special Events
April 9, 11, 12 & 14 ~ 2008
On Wednesday, April 9 at 6pm, African Film Festival, Inc. will host a reception with Charles Burnett. On Saturday, April 12, at 7:30pm, African Film Festival, Inc. will host a reception with Wole Soyinka. The receptions will be held in The Frieda and Roy Furman Gallery adjacent to the Walter Reade Theater. Tickets to each reception are $20; they are available online and at the Walter Reade Theater's box office.
On Friday, April 11 AFF Inc. will commemorate its long history of bringing the best of African film to New York audiences with the 15th Anniversary Celebration of the New York African Film Festival, a benefit reception being held at the Roy Furman Gallery, adjacent to the Walter Reade Theatre. The benefit will directly follow the 7:30pm New York premiere of Africa Paradis, which will be presented by its director, Sylvestre Amoussou. To purchase tickets, which are $100 and include entry to the film screening, call AFF at 212-352-1720.
On Monday, April 14 African Film Festival, Inc. presents its annual panel discussions in collaboration with Columbia University's Institute for African Studies and in association with Columbia University School of the Arts. At 3:30pm (venue: TBD) there will be a screening of "Welcome to Nollywood," a film by Jamie Meltzer, followed by a discussion chaired by Sean Jacobs (assistant professor, Afroamerican and African Studies, University of Michigan and contributing editor, Chimurenga Magazine) with panelists: Yemi Onafuwa (writer and art historian) and Brian Larkin (associate professor, Anthropology, Columbia University). At 6:30pm, in the Columbia University Screening Room, Dodge Hall, 116th Street & Broadway, there will be a roundtable, "The Short History of African Cinema and its Future(s)," chaired by internationally acclaimed Senegalese historian Dr. Mamadou Diouf (director of the Institute for African Studies, Columbia University) with panelists: Awam Amkpa (professor of Drama at New York University), Richard Pena (program director, Film Society of Lincoln Center), A. O. Scott (film critic at the New York Times) and Zina Saro Wiwa (film director). The panels are free and open to the public.
For a listing of NYAFF films screening at the Walter Reade Theater go to Program Overview. Please note: all non-English African Film Festival films are subtitled in English. Click on
Calendar to view the schedule, film descriptions and to purchase tickets online.
The festival continues at FIAF, French Institute Alliance Francaise on May 6, 13, 20 & 27, and at BAMCinématek, May 23–26.
The 15th Anniversary New York African Film Festival was organized by Richard Peña of the Film Society of Lincoln Center and African Film Festival, Inc. (Mahen Bonetti, Aba Taylor, Alonzo Speight and Muriel Placet-Kouassi). With special thanks to the AFF Board of Directors, Joan Baffour, Luca Bonetti, Francoise Bouffault, Rumbi Bwerinofa, Gabriel Donati, Kevin Duggan, Jacki Fischer, Odette A. Gregory, Belynda Hardin, Alexander Markov, Andrew Milne, Philippa Naughten, Prerana Reddy, Cheryl Duncan, Terrie Williams Agency and Kojo Associates. The programs of AFF are made possible by the generous support of the National Endowment for the Arts, American Express, RGAKFD-Russia, New York State Council for the Arts, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, JPMorgan Chase, UNESCO, New York Foundation for the Arts, International Organization of La Francophonie, New York Times Community Affairs Department, Time Warner Cable, French Cultural Services, Institute of African Studies of the University of Columbia, Bloomberg, Tides Foundation, GoCard, Namibian Film Commission, WNYC, Continental Airlines, 57 Main St. Wine Company, Putumayo World Music and Omnipak Import, Enterprises, Inc.
