Main Event

Caméra d’Afrique

Name of Venue

Francesca Beale Theater

Address

165 W 65th Street, New York, NY 10023

Dates and Times

Saturday, May 9

Collaborators

Director: Férid Boughedir

Activity Description

Férid Boughedir’s documentary, which premiered at Cannes in 1983, chronicles the first 20 years of sub-Saharan Africa’s new auteur cinema. The film explores how, 70 years after the invention of cinema, newly independent Africans began to use the movie camera to depict African reality through their own eyes, overcoming a lack of resources and infrastructure. The documentary utilizes extracts from significant films, interviews with filmmakers, and rare vintage footage to showcase this drive for self-expression.

The screening will be followed by an extended conversation with director Férid Boughedir and an audience-led Q&A. This offers an opportunity to engage with Boughedir's work and legacy as a critic, historian, and filmmaker who has championed early African cinema. The conversation will also highlight connections between sub-Saharan and North African cinemas and revisit themes of authorship, memory, and self-representation. The film has been restored in 2K from the original 16mm print by the Laboratory of the CNC with support from L’Institut français.

Languages

English and French with English subtitles