#LCA2016: Lights Camera Africa Film Festival List – Synopses & Trailers (Part 2)

Lights Camera Africa Film Festival 2016 brings to audiences an offering of films under the banner ‘Music Makes the People…’

The three days festival is an unabashed display of works of film that speak to the power of music and indeed other art forms to create love, express sorrow, build bridges and end wars.

It is a feast that is dedicated to screening the very best of emerging, fresh, independent African cinema and in particular celebrating the musical voice of film.

Featuring the famous Festival Souk, inter-disciplinary showcases of literature, visual art and live music, the festival promises to be one of a lifetime.

Lights Camera Africa Film Festival is taking place 30th September – 2nd October 2016 at The Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos.

Get yourself prepared for the 6th edition of Lights Camera Africa Film Festival 2016  – check out synopses and trailers (Part 2)

11. Intore (The Chosen) Dir. Eric Kabera, Rwanda, 2014, 64 min Trailer

Intore is a story of triumph, survival, hope, and a lesson in how to forgive and live, through a mother whose grief gives hope; an artist who chose to forgive; a maestro who brings together the National Ballet; and a young man’s determination. Through these characters and others, viewers will witness how the nation rose from a horrific genocide to post-conflict peace and unity. The film features music performances from Rwanda’s top traditional and commercial artists in music and dance, interwoven with poignant interviews.

12. Lagos: 1861-1960 the growth of a city of style Dir. Ed Emeka Keazor, Nigeria, 2016, 30 min Trailer

A glimpse into the emergence of the city of Lagos as the iconic style capital of West Africa. This 30-minute documentary illustrates the fashion, the music, the trends and events that shaped an image conscious an iconic city. This era is brought to life with the images, video clips and music of the era, set to an illuminating background narrative by historian and writer Ed Emeka Keazor

13. Miniyamba (Walking Blues) Dir. Luc Perez, France/Denmark, 2012, 15 min

Like thousands of people around the world who every day leave their homeland, Abdu, a young Malian, has decided to reach Europe. A trip from the Niger River to the barbed wire of the Ceuta, where dreams are confronted with the harsh reality, the distant lights of the West …

14. No Good Turn Dir. Udoka Oyeka, Nigeria, 2016, 17 min Trailer

A gruesome Boko Haram terrorist attack has destroyed the bank, the police station and the market of a small town in Northern Nigeria. In charge of the overcrowded ER of a rundown hospital, Dr. Gbenga and his staff are doing all they can to help the victims, when a young man suspected to be one of the terrorists is brought in. The town’s Chief of Police demands immediate jungle justice but Gbenga must keep everyone’s values in check especially his own.

15. New York, I Love You Dir. Iquo B. Essien, USA, 2016, 21 min Trailer

Viviane is a neurotic, struggling actress given to childish flights of fancy–like moving to LA on a whim to revive her dwindling career. But can she leave New York and Kazembe, the love of her life, behind?

16. Olive Dir. Alfonso Johnson, USA, 2016, 6.5 min Trailer 

Olive is a short film that explores betrayal, heartbreak, and chance encounters. The film was inspired by the song O Mistress Mine written by William Shakespeare and performed by Caleb Eberhardt of the hip hop/jazz duo Quincy Vidal.

Olive – A Short Film By Alfonso Johnson from Alfonso Johnson on Vimeo.

17. Too Black to be French? Dir.Isabelle Boni-Claverie, France/Cote d’Ivoire, 2015, 52 min Trailer

In this documentary film, Isabelle Boni-Claverie explores the role of race and the persistence of racism in France, as well as the impact of the French colonial past. Through an exploration of her personal family history, and interviews with historians and academics, TOO BLACK TO BE FRENCH peels back the layers of race relations in supposedly institutionally colourblind France. Boni-Claverie, a French-Ivorian, who grew up in upper class French society, unpacks how socio-economic privilege doesn’t mean protection from racial discrimination. She solicits anonymous individuals to speak on their daily experiences with race, class, discrimination and micro-aggressions. The film also features interviews with acclaimed sociologists and historians including Pap Ndiaye, Eric Fassin, Achille Mbembe, and Patrick Simon to help contextualize racial history in France. Boni-Claverie’s film starts an urgent discussion on French society’s inequalities and discrimination.

18. Towards Tenderness Dir. Alice Diop, France, 2015, 40 min Trailer

An intimate exploration of a masculine territory in a French suburb. Following a group of men’s vagrancy, we stride a universe where female bodies are nothing more than ghostly and virtual silhouettes. “‘Towards tenderness’ – four young men speaking freely, locked in their sexual and romantic representations or on the verge of getting out of it.”

http://bondyblog.liberation.fr/201410060008/alice-diop-cineaste-autop/#.VkWzoYXnzyU

19. The Amazing Nina Simon Dir. Jeff Lieberman, USA, 2015, 108 min Trailer

She was left out of Civil Rights history, erased by jazz critics, and forgotten by most Americans because no one knew how to categorize her greatness. But throughout the 1960s, Nina Simone was both loved and feared for her outspoken vision of Black Freedom. Her musical proclamations like Mississippi Goddam, and her iconic style gave voice to people of all colors facing oppression, and continues to empower today with its unrelenting appeal for justice. Yet, Nina is often remembered more for her fiery temper, scolding of audiences and her subsequent abrupt departure from the United States. With this film, we get one step closer to understanding the woman who has given fans moments of pride, and opportunities to cry in solitude. We gain a deeper appreciation of Nina’s music, and an understanding of the events leading to their creation. We continue her fight for freedom for all people, and introduce younger audiences to the songs that inspired us. We help preserve and understand the Amazing Nina Simone.

The Amazing Nina Simone – Documentary Feature Trailer from Re-Emerging Films on Vimeo.

20. The Other Side of the Atlantic Dir. Marcio Camara and Daniele Ellery, Brazil, 2015, 90 min Trailer

This is a documentary that builds a bridge in the ocean that separates Brazil and Africa. The film tackles the cultural exchanges, the imaginary created through the mirroring, the prejudice and dreams built in both sides of the atlantic through the life stories of the students of african countries in transit through Brazil.

The Other Side of the Atlantic – Trailer from Marcio Camara on Vimeo.

21. The Return Dir. Yohann Kouam, France, 2013, 22 min Trailer

It’s been a year since his big brother left, and Willy, 15, can’t wait for him to return. Willy thought he knew everything about Theo, but when he arrives back in the block, Willy discovers a secret about him… “The Return” (“Le Retour”), an acclaimed 20-minute film from French director Yohann Kouam with a synopsis that reads: When the older brother he idolizes comes back home, Willy realizes that he doesn’t know him as well as he thought.

22. The Sense of Touch Dir. Jean-Charles Mbotti Mololo, France/Switzerland, 2014, 15min Trailer

Chloe and Louis are deaf and mute. They are secretly in love but they don’t admit it. Their gestures substitute for words. They dance, each word is choreography.

23. Tunde Dir. Ron Wyman, USA, 105 min, 2013 Trailer

‘TUNDE’ is a documentary about Tunde Jegede, a master Kora and cello player who composes and performs a seamless fusion of African and classical music; “Home Sweet Home” about squatters and homeless people five years after Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans (co-produced with Pulitzer Prize winning author Dale Maharidge); and “ Murals of Belfast” about the power of art in the troubles of Northern Ireland.

READ: #LCA2016: Lights Camera Africa Film Festival List – Synopses & Trailers (Part 1)