Oct. 13 Underground Railroad Film & Discussion Series: October 2010

The Underground Railroad, a project of the annual Langston Hughes African American Film Festival, is a fall - through -winter film and discussion series. Using the metaphor of a series of strategically located “Safe Houses” in Seattle neighborhoods, the Underground Railroad is a series of intimate screenings designed to build community across the aisle and across neighborhoods. Each Safe House along the trail brings forth a different provocative work about African American life, leading to ‘freedom’ at the annual Langston Hughes African American Film Festival in April. We are pleased to attract diverse audiences every year. All are welcome.

Dates and locations for all screenings are not yet confirmed; please visit our website, www.langstonblackfilmfest.org or our blog, http://lhaaffbside.blogspot.com/, or call 206-326-1088 to listen to schedule updates.

October 13, 2009 at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center: MY FATHER THE LUO (USA/Kenya)
Tomasz Magierski, Dir

Suggested donation: $5/pay what you can

Synopsis: My Father the Luo is a film about finding one’s identity. The main character is Roma Ndolo, a young woman who grew up in Germany with parents from Poland and Kenya. She had always longed to find out more about her “African side” so she travels to her late father’s homeland. While there she recognizes the parallels between her own life and that of President Barack Obama. Each of their fathers were from the Luo tribe and Obama’s half sister is Roma’s family friend. This film was shot during the Democratic Convention in Denver 2008. Not surprisingly there is also historic footage of Senator Obama’s trip to Kenya in 2006.

CALLEJON - a production of the African ConeXion project: original, bilingual Afro-Peruvian musical

Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center
Special Events

Callejon

Date: June 3 - June 14
Time: 7:30 p.m.
Cost: $12 Adults, $6 Students & Seniors

An original bilingual musical with Teatro Del Milenio of Peru. Blends Afro-Peruvian rhythms with African American beats. Shows are Thursday thru Sunday from June 3rd to June 14th, 7:30pm.

Tickets may be purchased online at www.brownpapertickets.com.

Afro-Peruvian Culture - HANDS OF GOD, January 15

Underground Railroad Film Series
CINEMA AND CONVERSATION

A new year, a new President and new ways to celebrate, nurture, present, preserve and share our heritage and culture through the arts! January brings us many stops on the Underground Railroad, with films from far and wide.

JANUARY SAFE HOUSE SCREENING

HANDS OF GOD
Documentary - PERU 2004; 54 min

Director- Delia Ackerman

Date: Thursday, January 15
Time: 7PM
New Location: Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center, 104 - 17th Avenue South at Yesler Way
Central District, Seattle (Metro bus #27
Suggested donation: $5 at the door

The stunning dexterity and mastery of famous Afro-Peruvian percussionist Julio "Chocolate" Algendones are on display in this affectionate documentary about the great master. Afro-Peruvian music is rooted in multiples rhythms coming from Africa. Mixing the traditional and the contemporary, from cajón to Jazz, Chocolate composed and played many music styles, taught all over the world and contributed to the creative development of numerous artists including the dance group Peru Negro.

Post Screening Discussion with Rose Cano, Director "Callejon: The Alley", a bi-lingual musical co-production of North South Conexions and Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center.

VANCOUVER PAN-AFRICAN FILM & ARTS FESTIVAL KINSHIP DAY FESTIVAL, OCTOBER 24-26, 2008

2^ND ANNUAL VANCOUVER PAN-AFRICAN FILM & ARTS FESTIVAL (VPAFF) KINSHIP DAY FESTIVAL, OCTOBER 24-26, 2008. FULL PROGRAM AND TICKETS WWW.VPAFF.ORG

Vancouver, B.C. October 20, 2008..Nanaimo native Ebony Johnson has combined her award-winning talent - and personal tragedies - to communicate with a passion for her African roots, and to produce the second annual Vancouver Pan-African Film and Arts Festival to be held October 24 to 26 in Vancouver. With cutting-edge films, a moving concert of African music, panel discussions, workshops and dance, Ms. Johnson plans to make this year’s Festival the best yet. Advance Tickets online at www.vpaff.org

“With the Province of British Columbia and both the cities of Vancouver and Burnaby declaring October 24 to 26 as “Kinship Day”, and the generous support of our sponsors, my goal of building bridges between cultures is closer than ever” said Ms. Johnson, who also speaks French and Japanese and hosts her own world beat music show on-line Afrobeat. “The purpose of the VPAFF is to promote Canada’s cultural diversity and to build community through the arts”.

Last year’s inaugural VPAFF (held October 26 & 27) was a great success - and an historic event. It was endorsed by all levels of government, including Her Excellency the Governor General of Canada, Michaelle Jean. Moreover, the event attracted international attention to Vancouver, and included government delegates from Africa and the U.S., as well as distinguished guests, Ambassador Andrew Young and entourage, renowned American filmmaker Charles Burnett, and Government of Namibia officials.

The 2008 VPAFF runs from Friday October 24 (United Nations Day) through Sunday October 26. The program includes:

FRIDAY OCTOBER 24: Hosted by Jamaican-born and Canadian Raised Denis Simpson – award-winning actor

5:30 pm – to 10:30 pm – Gallery Gachet – 88 East Cordova Street, Vancouver

Star-Studded Opening Night & Fundraising Festivities: An exciting evening of fun, food, music, dance and film. Hollywood star and human rights activist Danny Glover is expected to introduce his new film, Poor Boy’s Game. Other entertainment includes Vancouver based DJ Diallo who will heat up the dance floor with the best of traditional, modern and everything between from across the African continent, and an invigorating Zulu dance inviting lively audience participation through call and response, led by famous African dancer/choreographer Bheki Ndlovu. Raffle items include, wine, gift baskets full of African products, pizza cooking stone and pizza wheel, and beautiful Zimbabwean sculpture donated by Stone Age Art and a two nights’ stay at the Tropicana Suite Hotel Vancouver and more. 5:30 PM to 10 pm, Gallery Gachet, 88 East Cordova St. Tickets $35 on-line: www.vpaff.com (Tix includes VIP Reception entry and Opening film)

SATURDAY OCTOBER 25: Harbour Centre SFU Downtown, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver

11 am to 7 pm – Fletcher Challenge Theatre

Films: The festival premieres the screening of Jason E. Sims The Obama Exeprience, a brilliant 3D-Short animation inspired by the ground breaking efforts of the Barack Obama campaign, Senator Obama Goes to Africa – Directed by Bob Hercules and produced by Keith Walker. Narrated by Barack Obama, the documentary, this film chronicles his return to his paternal family's roots on an emotional journey to Africa. It’s Time African Women Join Hands against Domestic Violence, Produced and Directed by Steven Hunt, and co-presented with the Law Courts Educational Society of BC. From Under the Bushy Trees, directed by Moira Simpson and Jan Padgett, this is a feature length documentary that explores how to deliver aid to Africa with justice and dignity. Bavubuka All Stars, by Canadian Aaron Elton, a documentary promoting Africa’s next generation young positive musicians, and Dan Balluff’s Children of Congo: From War to Witches a must see film, showing individuals and organizations that are implementing positive change for the children and people of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Tickets on Sale: www.vpaff.org

SUNDAY OCTOBER 26: Harbour Centre SFU Downtown, 515 West Hastings Street, Vancouver

11 am to 7 pm – Fletcher Challenge Theatre

• Music & Dance – All Aboard the VPAFF Express on Sunday at 11 am – 12:30 pm

Exciting workshop will include a solo performance by acclaimed South African dancer/choreographer Bheki Ndlovu as a warm-up to the simultaneous broadcast with South Africa. "In South Africa we have a lot of dances, especially now with some from other parts of Africa, and the music, interestingly, we still have music that inspires us to sing along, clap hands and dance traditional styles, which is the way we have celebrated life since the beginning of time”, said Bheki whose productions include Sarafina! Bafana and The Lion King. This 90-minute workshop of African song and dance goes from 11 am to 12:30 pm.

Simultaneous Broadcast with South Africa 11 am to 3 pm

• The Reel PanAfriCAN SoundsCAPE Videos: A ground-breaking inter-continental experience linking Vancouver audience members in ‘creative conversation’ with African film subjects in Africa! Stunning, Canada-South Africa co-production combining interactive film, music, dance and dialogue with participating audiences in both Canada and South Africa to explore issues of migration, multiculturalism and the role of the artist in promoting cross-cultural understanding. These films were made by artists who emigrated from other parts of Africa and who experienced severe animosity as they attempted to make a new home.

Using Internet video technology, this event links Vancouver audience members directly with people in Cape Town, South Africa in a creative conversation. This two-hour ground breaking event will be led on each side by a vibrant MC to create an interactive expression of African unity, understanding and international cooperation. Tickets on Sale now: www.vpaff.org

• Panel Discussion – 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm

“Say NO to Stigma”: A discussion pressing issues of immigration, xenophobia, multiculturalism promoting cross-cultural understanding of refugee rights, resilience and reconciliation with panel members that include Dr. Catherine Murray (SFU), Moussa Magassa (Uvic), Rudolf Richards (Community Elder), Heiko Decosas (SFU), Addy Kgomo (Umoja Compassion Society), Arthur Martins-Aginam (SFU)

• 4:45 pm - Kinship Day Festival Closing Ceremony by Attorney General & Minister Responsible for Multiculturalism, Province of British Columbia

Closing Feature Film: God Grew Tired Of Us – 5:15 pm to 7:30 pm

The winner of both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival – God Grew Tired of Us, the story features The Lost Boys of Sudan. This powerful documentary tells the story of four boys ages 3 to 13 orphaned by a civil war.

Fleeing their villages, they formed a surrogate family, protecting and providing for each other, traveling together for 5 years, over thousands of miles, against all odds reaching a UN refugee camp in Kenya. Eventually they were selected to settle in the United States by a humanitarian aid organization.

Tickets for the Vancouver Pan-African Arts, Culture & Film and Festival are on sale now at www.vpaff.org.

Sponsors include City Of Vancouver, Corus Entertainment TV Listings, Line One Computer Services, SFU Speaking of the World Series, International Development, Continuing Studies, Ethical Bean, the Law Courts Education Society of BC, CBC Radio and TV, Highlife World Records, Stone Age Art, Omni Television, Shaw Multicultural Television, Skytrain, Shea Butter Market, Coast Mountain Bus, The Beat 94.5 FM, Gallery Gachet, Jamaican Pizza Jerk, Tropicana Hotel and more. ($15)

2008 LHAAFF begins April 12!

Festival Runs: April 12 – April 20, 2008
Opening Reception & Special Guest: Donnie L. Betts (4/12; 7:00)
Closing Reception & Special Guest: Charles Burnett (4/20; 7:00)

SEATTLE –Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center (LHPAC) will host its Fifth Annual African American Film Festival, featuring a powerful lineup of documentaries, narratives, film shorts and animation. The festival is thrilled to announce that Honeydripper , a film by John Sayles will be featured on Opening Night April 12th. Audience members will get the rare opportunity to see behind the scenes footage of the film and filmmaker Donnie L. Betts will be on hand to share a "making of" insight into the film. On April 20th the festival will wrap with a special showing of Namibia: The Struggle for Liberation and the film’s director, Charles Burnett will be on hand to discuss his work.

The African American Film Festival runs nine consecutive nights from April 12th – 20th and all the showings will take place at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center. The festival includes a record number of entries from emerging and established filmmakers from around the world. The selection of powerful, diverse, intelligent and evocative films will include a robust shorts program designed to give rise to the emergent filmmaking voice, and a wide array of talkbacks, panels and receptions provide a much needed bridge for artists and community patrons to engage in meaningful dialogue.

This annual event is expected to draw over 1000 people who are passionate about creating and appreciating films by and about Black people in the world . The Festival spotlights over 40 feature-length and short films by independent filmmakers, and includes panel discussions, readings, special screenings for senior & youth and the rare opportunity to chat face-to-face with prominent filmmakers, industry professionals and community leaders.

“Our goal for each year’ is to present as wide, and as honest, a variety of portrayals of Black life as possible.’ said Zola Mumford, the festival’s curator. “People of African descent are doing all sorts of interesting things all over the world; and this little gem of a festival invites audiences to learn and expand their view of the African experience.”

A few of the films & workshops currently scheduled include:
• Honeydripper is a Rock n’ Roll fable about Guitar Sam set in 1950’s Alabama. It is directed by John Sayles, stars Danny Glover and features music by Keb Mo
• The Seattle premiere of Namibia: The Struggle for Liberation. An epic tale by legendary director Charles Burnett about the rise of Sam Nujoma, the first President of Namibia. Burnett will be on hand to discuss his work
• Seattle filmmaker Eddie Smith premieres two films, Man to Man, a psychological drama; and Behind Closed Doors, a courtroom drama exploring racial identity.
• Women Together as One by Gilda Sheppard is a documentary about Liberian women refugees and child soldiers
• Seattle poet and filmmaker Stacey Tolbert premieres Got Breast?
• Pariah is a coming-of-age drama about a lesbian teenager who unsuccessfully juggles multiple identities to avoid rejection from her friends and family.
• Adopted by Aliens Animators Shawnee and Shawnelle Gibbs will be in town to host an animation workshop
• Alonzo Crawford, Howard University Cinematography Professor and filmmaker will also host a film workshop

Photos and background info on these, and other films are available upon request. A complete list of films and schedules will be released in early April.

All festival activities take place at the historic Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center on 17th & Yesler (104 17th Ave. S). The opening night event, Honeydripper begins at 7 pm. The closing night event, Namibia also begins at 7 pm. All evening showtimes are 7:00 pm. Matinees are at 4:00 M-F and 2:00 pm Sat. & Sun. Tickets are $ 7 for adults $5 for seniors and $2 for youth. An all-access “Langston Pass” is $75. Film details and ticketing information are available at www.langstonblackfilmfest.org or by calling 206-326-1088.

The African American Film Festival is supported by The Lucky 7 Foundation, Seattle Parks and Recreation, 4 Culture, the Washington State Arts Commission, the Mayor’s Office of Arts and Cultural Affairs, and a host of local businesses and organizations. The Langston Hughes African American Film Festival gives Northwest audiences a chance to view a diverse array of irreverent, poignant, provocative documentary films on topics such as youth, politics, history, social justice and relationships.
About the Langston Hughes African American Film Festival: The Langston Hughes African American Film Festival supports community building by providing opportunities for artists and audiences to connect using the medium of film as a catalyst for dialogue that leads to social change. The festival creates year round opportunities to enhance media literacy, self reflection, and community discussion. By creating the shared experience of films that are by and about black people, the festival is a creative and collaborative opportunity to build cultural competency across the aisle and across neighborhoods in greater Seattle. www.langstonblackfilmfest.org

About Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center: Established in 1969 as a dynamic and creative cultural arts center under the Model Cities, Urban Renewal program the Center provides a cultural institution in Seattle’s Central Area, where arts specific to the African American experience could be taught, explored, expressed, and enjoyed by all. LHPAC has been at the core of experimental, cutting edge, traditional, and emerging art forms for more than 35 years. LHPAC became a program of Seattle Parks and Recreation in 1972. It has been a core gathering place for an African American cannon of work in a neighborhood that has seen numerous demographic changes over the past three decades. The Center remains committed to championing that voice and building powerful connections with the diverse cultures in our community. This is accomplished through the creation of dynamic performing arts experiences for all. LHPAC partners with organizations such as: The Central District Forum for Arts and Ideas, Seattle Public Schools, the Paramount Theater, Book-It-Repertory Theater, ReAct Theater, the Seattle Symphony, Earshot Jazz and many more organizations that share our commitment to quality programming for a diverse audience. www.seattle.gov/parks/Centers/langston.htm

BLACK ISRAEL documentary, January 17 2008

a film by Maurice Dores

Location:Cal Anderson House at Cal Anderson Park, 1635 - 11th Avenue, Capitol Hill, Seattle (Broadway Playfield area), near Richard Hugo House

Thursday, January 17, 2008 at 7:00 p.m. – Suggested donation: $5.00. This film is 88 minutes long.

This engaging film is a vibrant portrait of pluralistic 21st-century Jewish identities across the globe. It documents Africans and African-Americans who live in Israel and practice Judaism there. Africans from Nigeria, Togo, the Congo, Zaire, Lagos and Ethiopia have emigrated to Israel to work or to study Judaism. They were unable to study their religion at home since there was no one to teach them.

In the Negev desert, several thousand Black Americans who fled the urban slums in the 1960's have formed an independent community where they practice their own version of the Hebraic religion under the law of their leader Carter Ben Ami. Although they have been denied citizenship in Israel, they enjoy friendly relations with Israelis and believe Israel is "the kingdom of Paradise on Earth."

Many Black Jews born in the Caribbean have moved to the U.S. to practice Judaism. One congregant of the Ethiopian Hebrew Congregation in Harlem, born in Trinidad, recalls that his father's family which had Sephardic roots, kept kosher and celebrated the Sabbath. We meet a diverse group of people from a Harlem rabbi who reveals his thoughts on the spread of Judaism in sub-Saharan Africa, to Rebecca Walker, the biracial daughter of civil rights activist Alice Walker and to an African learning Yiddish in Paris. As one Jew from Nigeria concludes "Judaism has no color."

"Black Israel is highly recommended for jr. high, sr. high, college, and general adult audiences interested in Judaic studies, Religion in general, and area studies focusing on Israel as well as for general audiences interested in Jews, Israel, and/or people of color." Sheila Intner, Simmons College GSLIS at Mt. Holyoke for EMRO

New York Jewish Film Festival, 2004
San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, 2003
San Francisco Black Film Festival, 2003

"A fascinating documentary that explores the incredible diversity of Judaism and its influence on a population of Africans and Afro-Americans." --Bernard Loupias, Nouvel Observateur

"...shows Black Jewishness finding its place in the diversity of Judaism." --Serge Blumenfeld, Le Monde

DATE CHANGE & LOCATION ANNOUNCEMENT! "This is Nollywood"

The Langston Hughes African American Film Festival Underground Railroad Film Series presents

THIS IS NOLLYWOOD
56 minutes, 2007, Nigeria. Producer: Franco Sacchi and Robert Caputo
Friday, November 16, 2007 at the Harry Thomas Community Center at Lee House in the New Holly neighborhood, South Seattle, 7315 – 39th Avenue South . $5.00 suggested donation . Street parking is available. There may also be free after-hours parking in the health center parking lot.

First came Hollywood, then Bollywood and now Nollywood, Nigeria’s booming film industry, which released 2000 feature features in 2006 alone. Where else can you shoot a full-length dramatic film for $10,000 in 7 days? Until recently little known outside its own country, THIS IS NOLLYWOOD explains why Nigerian video production is becoming recognized as a phenomenon with broad implications for the cultural and economic development of Africa.

The industry is wholly self-sustaining, receiving no foreign or government assistance. Directors of these films are proud to admit that their intended audience is the average Nigerian not international film festivals. There are an amazing 55,000,000 video players in Nigeria reaching 90% of the population.

Before the rise of Nollywood, Nigerians saw mostly American Westerns, Hong Kong Kung Fu movies and Bollywood musicals. In contrast, Nollywood appeals to a hunger for indigenous stories with characters and situations audiences can easily relate to. The popularity of these films has spread across English-speaking Africa and their stars have become celebrities from Zambia to Ghana. Nollywood also provides a vital, constantly up-dated link between the vast Nigerian diaspora and their home culture. Thousands of Nigerian films are already available to immigrants to the United States both on DVD and over the internet.

The Nollywood phenomenon is doubtless an expression of the resourcefulness and vigor of Nigerian society. But it also raises questions about the potential social impact of commercial cinema, especially in the developing world. Does Nollywood in fact depict daily Nigerian life any more accurately or incisively than Hollywood portrays American society? Does it dare expose the kleptocracy which for forty years has kept its citizens impoverished by pocketing the nation’s immense oil wealth? As for cultural preservation, Nollywood narratives seem more influenced by international genres like the action thriller and the soap opera than Yoruba drama or Ibo folk tales. Can we reasonably hope that a cinematic Chinua Achebe or Wole Soyinka will emerge out of the frenetic deal-making of Lagos? Superstar Saint Obi optimistically predicts that “I believe very soon we are not only going to have better movies, we’ll have that original Nigerian movie.” For the time being, hard-pressed Nigerians are at least getting their own version of the vicarious excitement and undemanding escapism, which have become the prime commodities of the Information Age. For us, these films may give clearer insights into the apprehensions and aspirations of the average Nigerian than any documentary or political drama.

This documentary film is a partial but intensely focused image from a dense picture—the current cinematic phenomenon in Nigeria which its title proclaims. With an admirable sense of humor, it captures the gritty and confounding optimism that keeps Nigeria going, against all rational expectations. In its innovative approach to narrative and the contingencies of production characteristic of the industry, This is Nollywood becomes the drama it seeks to document, without losing direction.

Akin Adesokan, Indiana University


This is Nollywood captures the problems and dynamism of making movies in Nigeria while giving a vibrant introduction to this fast growing movie industry. Dealing with rainstorms, missing stars, and power cuts, we see the pressure on Nigerian moviemakers and the guerilla filmmaking they have invented to cope. As the director Bond Emeruwa says, “In Nollywood we don’t count the walls, we have learned ways to climb them”.

Brian Larkin, Barnard College; Columbia University

Explore Afro-Uruguyan culture at stop #2 of the Underground Railroad Film Series

Show date: Thursday , October 18, 7:00 p.m. Location: Rainier Community Center
4600 38th Ave. South . Suggested $5 donation at the door.

CANDOMBE
Directed by Rafael Deugenio
16 minutes.Spanish with English subtitles.
More than two hundred years ago, there was an influx into Uruguay of slaves from AfricaPublish Post whom, after being freed, continued to make up the poorest and most marginalized strata in society. Fernado Nunez, a Black man, a musician, and a maker of drums, sees himself as the heir to "Candombe", an important social and cultural legacy from his slave forefathers. The official history and culture of Uruguay, on the other hand, which has never acknowledged this contribution to the degree which it deserves, continues to marginalize expressions of Black culture. Fernando Nunez and his friends from the Barrio Sur back street quarter of Montevideo have decided to fight to keep these important cultural roots alive in the consciousness of the Uruguayan people.

followed by

ADIOS MOMO (Goodbye Momo)
Directed by Leonardo Ricagni. Starring Jorge Esmoris, Mathias Acuna, and Washington Luna.
100 minutes.Spanish with English subtitles.

Obdulio is an 11-year-old Afro-Uruguayan street boy who lives with his grandmother and sells newspapers for a living while he cannot read or write. Obdulio is not interested in going to school until he finds out that the night watchman of the newspaper's office is a charismatic magical "Maestro" who not only introduces him to the world of literacy but also teaches him the real meaning of life through the lyrics of the "Murgas" (Carnival Pierrots) during the mythical nights of the irreverent and provocative Uruguayan carnival.

With a poetic nod to Fellini, Leonardo Ricagni uses the carnival atmosphere to transport the viewer to a magical place where realism and surrealism live side by side in Uruguay—and what a wonderful place to be. With sweeping directorial vision and gorgeously shot with rich, vibrant colors, A DIOS MOMO achieves a rich visual and spiritual sensibility unparalleled today. – Shaz Bennett AFI Fest 2005