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On 7/8 July 2001 in the Bali-Cinema in Berlin-Zehlendorf, AfricAvenir presented its first Filmfestival reflecting the diversity of African cinematographic creation rarely accessible to a German public. Featured films included historic master pieces like Xala or Guelwaar but also recent productions like the very successful TGV Express.

Film Series >>>

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by Ousmane Sembène, 1974, Sénégal, 120 min, OmU. Guelwaar, a steadfast man who defended the idea of a corruption-free, self-sufficient Africa, is about to be buried. Guelwaar died from his wounds after being physically attacked. But on the morning of his funeral it is discovered that his corpse has disappeared from the morgue. Due to an administration error, a powerful Moslem family has mistakenly buried Guelwaar's body in "its" cemetery. Guelwaar, however, was head of a Catholic family. The film poetically depicts the social, political and religious conflicts in Senegal and questions the development help business. >>>

by Ingrid Sinclair, 1996, Zimbabwe/Namibia/France, 90 min. Based on accounts of women who joined the Liberation War, this powerful fiction arouses emotions and controversy wherever it is shown. Flame has won awards at several film festivals and was selected for the Director's Fortnight at the Cannes film festival. It is the first film ever to focus on the role of women and the struggles for the independence of Zimbabwe. Shot in Zimbabwe with an entirely Zimbabwean cast. >>>

by Ousmane Sembène, 1975, Senegal, 120 min. This is a powerfully build indictment of the corruption and decadence of some wealthy minorities in African nations. On one level, the film depicts the story of El Hadji, whose downfall begins with the curse of impotence. On another level, the physical impotence of El Hadji is actually a reflection of the moral, social, and economic impotence of his entire class. Despite personal wealth and power, the members of the film's fictitious 'Chamber of Commerce' achieve little of national or human relevance, while in the end, they are all subservient to the power of the Europeans they replaced. Throughout, the production is layered by images of cultural and spiritual poverty. El Hadji refuses to speak Wolof to his daughter, drinks only imported mineral water, plays the role of a good Muslim only when it suits his purpose, and completely alienates himself from the people of his rural origins. With Xala, Ousmane Sembene has presented a subversive, scathingly funny, and incisive satire on the decadence and hypocrisy of the post-colonial upper class. >>>

by Richard Pakleppa, 1999, Namibia, 27 min. For 23 long years Namibia fought against the system of apartheid, finally obtaining their independence in 1990. Atrocities were committed by both nationals and colonialists wounding and forever scarring the people of Namibia. The people cried out and are still crying out for acknowledgement of the hurt inflicted on them. Yet all they have received is a blanket amnesty for perpetrators on both sides. How do you heal a wound without acknowledging that it is there? The people have been asked to forget and push for economic reconciliation. Can they be expected to suppress the past when they have seen so much in 23 years of war and need to speak in order to release and forgive?
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by Karen Boswall, 1998, Mozambique, 27 min. A civil war that ended in 1992 tore through Mozambique for 6 years leaving over 1 million people dead and 3 million displaced. Families were torn apart, brothers were forced to fight against each other, leaving their way of life altered forever. To pull themselves through this tragedy the people of Mozambique were called upon to forgive each other and forget the past. Fighters in the war must keep their experiences silent, in order for the voices within to fall silent and forgiveness take root. One wonders if this is the way forward for the nation to rise from the ashes! >>>

by Moussa Touré, 1997, Senegal, 90 min. In the closed confines of a cross-country taxi somewhere between Dakar and Conakry, Moussa Touré brings together a dozen passengers from different walks of life in order to evoke the problems that stop Africa from moving ahead. The space of the bus becomes a theatre in which each passenger becomes a character, racked by his/her anguish, fear, uncertainty. The chaotic itinerary allows the film to depict Africa's contemporary problems: groups of refugees wandering openly along the main routes, unbearable images which evoke the torment of the tribal wars stirred up by upstart politicians in cahoots with the religious dignitaries. The bus' adventures across Africa's fissured belly is dotted with fine musical interludes composed by the Senegalese musician Wasis Diop, who is sensitive to the vibration of beings and things. >>>

by Djibril Diop Mambéty, 1994, Senegal/Switzerland/France, 45 min. La Petite Vendeuse du Soleil (the Girl who sold the Sun) follows the life of a young girl who moves from her village to Dakar - having permanently lost the use of one of her legs, the only job she can do, is beg on the streets. One day however she sees boys selling Le Soleil, a national newspaper. Although no girls do that job, she manages to convince those in charge to give her a try… But can she survive in a cut-throat world where only aggression pays off? Offering a loving vision of modern day Dakar, Diop-Mambety takes us through all of the highs and lows of the sprawling city. His gentle, tender touch is evident but the tone doesn’t become sickly sweet with the film ending as realistically as it honestly could. >>>

by Idrissa Ouedraogo, 1989, Burkina Faso/Switzerland/France, 90 min. A young boy, Bila, and his cousin encounter an old woman who was cast out of their village many years ago. Despite the village's fears, Bila is curious about the old woman. When his cousin becomes ill, he must battle his village's fears and taboos to seek help from the old outcast. >>>

by Michael Hammon, Jacqueline Görgen, 1999, Germany, 94 min. "There once lived a family, not far from the hills of the Matopos. The mother and father were normal people like you and me but, for some reason, the children were different. They were made of wax...", so begins a story as told by an old woman who observes and reflects on the lives of the street children of Johannesburg. Many of these children come from the townships, townships that still bear the scars of apartheid's policies. Unlike their parents, these children are not prepared to be part of the meek majority of have-nots, are not prepared to be the born losers anymore. Poverty, alcoholism, broken families and brutality drive them to the streets of cities like Johannesburg to try and improve their lot. And, indeed, sometimes they are lucky. Then they feel strong, courageous and independent- after a strong dosis of glue-sniffing- whilst they stare with longing at the wealth parading past them on the pavements of Johannesburg. Vusi, Shadrack, Bheki, Silas, Jane, the protagonists of this film, are children such as these who roam the streets, hoping and waiting for the lucky break. Alone, totally dependent on their own rescources, they and many others like them fight against all odds for the fulfilment of their modest little dreams. But in their search for a happier life, they are in the process of losing what is left of their future. And so the story teller on the hills of Johannesburg is left telling her legends to the ghosts of the past. >>>

by Oliver Schmitz, 1988, South Africa, 100 min. Mapantsula was the first anti-apartheid feature film by, for and about black South Africans. Filmed inside Soweto, scored to the urban beat of "Township Jive," Mapantsula has been called a South African The Harder They Come. Mapantsula tells the story of Panic, a petty gangster who inevitably becomes caught up in the growing anti-apartheid struggle and has to choose between individual gain and a united stand against the system. Mapantsula will give viewers an insider's tour of township life and a foretaste of the vibrant popular cinema promised by the new, democratic South Africa. >>>

by Jean-Marie Teno, 2000, Germany/Cameroon/France, 75 min. ‘A Trip to the Country ’ is a voyage in search of the illusion of modernity that haunts Cameroon society. The film questions, sometimes ironically, the notion of development, often associated in Africa with ‘ tropical modernity ’, which could be summarised as: Everything from Europe is modern, whereas all local things are archaic and must be discarded. >>>

Prudence Uriri, 1999, Zimbabwe, 27 min. Independence in Zimbabwe in 1980 meant an end to many forms of oppression. Yet soon after the celebrations, another war started in Matebeleland. The filmmaker¹s quest takes her to meet a member of the 5th Brigade that had undertaken the massacres on behalf of the newly formed Zimbabwean government. His deeds still torment him although he has tried the channels of official restitution. >>>

Antjie Krog, Ronelle Loots, 1998, South Africa, 27 min. This video walks with Debra Matshoba through her exposé of her struggle to be normal in the new South Africa. This is an experience that is known and shared by many in this nation. Independent and free, yes! Yet the battle and struggle to enjoy this heavily paid for freedom continues. >>>

by Deborah Hoffmann, Frances Reid, 2000, USA, 95 min. This documentary follows the outcome of 4 cases out of 7000 presented to the Truth and Reconsiliation Commission (TRC) in South Africa. Headed by the Reverend Desmond Tutu, who was appointed by the newly-elected South African government, the TRC was set up to try and establish who was accountable for crimes against humanity in the Apartheid era in an attempt to heal the wounds in South Africa's turbulent past. As it emerges from its tragedy, South Africa is showing the rest of the world that even the most bitter of conflicts can be addressed through honesty and communication. Long Night's Journey Into Day provides the definitive record of one of the most amibitious and innovative attempts at social reconciliation without precedent in human history.>>>