29th New York African Film Festival
May 12—June 2, 2022
The 29th New York African Film Festival is presented under the banner Visions of Freedom: tuning into diverse and interconnected notions of freedom pertinent to Africa, the diaspora, and the world at large. This year’s festival presents programs that recall activisms past and usher in new anthems of the future to embrace a united front for liberation and expression.
The festival takes place with Film at Lincoln Center (FLC) from Thursday, May 12 to Tuesday, May 17. From FLC, the festival will continue at Maysles Cinema in Harlem from Thursday, May 19 to Sunday, May 22, and will conclude at Brooklyn Academy of Music’s (BAM) Rose Cinemas from Friday, May 27 to Thursday, June 2, in conjunction with the annual DanceAfrica celebration. It all kicks off with a Town Hall at Lincoln Center’s David Rubenstein Atrium on Wednesday, May 11 at 7:30 p.m., featuring African and diaspora artists displaying and discussing work that explores the festival’s theme.
For more information, visit: www.africanfilmny.org/festival/2022-festival
FREDA
(Gessica Généus, 2021, Haiti/France/Benin, 93 min. In Haitian Creole, English, and French with English subtitles. New York Premiere)
Freda lives with her family in a poor neighborhood in Port-au-Prince. They make ends meet thanks to their small street shop. Faced with precarious living conditions and the rise of violence in Haiti, each of them wonders whether to stay or leave, but Freda is determined to believe in the future of her country.
Thursday, May 12 at 6:30pm (Q&A with Gessica Généus); Monday, May 16th at 4:15pm at Film at Lincoln Center
EL MAESTRO LABA SOSSEH
(Maky Madiba Sylla & Lionel Bourqui, Côte d'Ivoire/Cuba/Gambia/.Senegal, 2020, 70 min. In English, French and Spanish with English subtitles)
With the first continental gold record in 1980, prolific singer, Laba Sosseh, became an emblematic figure of Afro-Cuban music in Africa. His career spanned more than 45 years, until his death in 2007. This documentary takes us on a journey ten years later, tracing his ever-present influence from Dakar, Senegal, to Banjul, the capital of Gambia, where Laba Sosseh was born. From the Gambia, we follow his trail to Abidjan, Ivory Coast, Cuba, and New York City, painting a portrait of the multifaceted artist's immense musical career. Along the way, we meet musicians, friends, and El Maestro’s family members who share their insight, allowing us to trace Cuban music's journey to West Africa, and Senegal in particular, to see how the music evolved. We gain a better understanding of Laba Sosseh's role in this process and the legacy he left.
Friday, May 20, 6pm at Maysles Cinema (Q&A with Maky Madiba Sylla)
