African Women Make Movies--New Cinema from African Women Filmmakers

California Newsreel and the Museum of the African Diaspora are presenting a series of films by women and about women’s issues.
The first, Kounandi, is a new film by a Burkina Faso woman set in an isolated village. It is a folkloric plot with supernatural twists that tackles a complex array of issues. Particularly, the film explores different women’s attempts to acquire personal agency while continuing to respect the historical legacy and traditions of their culture. Because it is set in a completely isolated village, the film looks to indigenous culture for the solutions to some of the issues raised.


The second film to be screened on June 14th, Al’leessi...An African Actress, by Rahmatou Keita, explores the life of an edgy retired actress named Souley. The women broke taboos throughout her career on screen only to be shunned later in life. The film examines women’s issues and how those are translated to the silver screen. The movie would be of particular interest to those that are interested in cultural and media studies within gender studies.
The screening will take place at 7:30 on Wednesday, June 14th .


Here are links to the two films being screened:
Al’leessi:
http://www.filmref.com/notes/archives/2006/01/alleessian_african_actress_200.html