Joséphine Baker: Black Diva in a White Man’s World (Germany, 2006; 45 min.)

Annette von Wangenheim, Director

A WDR (Westdeutschser Rundfunk) television production

The Langston Hughes African American Film Festival, in cooperation with the Seattle Art Museum Community Partnership

Program presents the Seattle premiere of Annette von Wangenheim's documentary. An examination of Baker's life and performance, both as a mirror of European colonial fantasies and as a symbol of the 20^th century's Black consciousness movement.

Tuesday, January 26 at 7:30 PM at the Seattle Art Museum, downtown Seattle, 1300 First Avenue. Admission: suggested donation of $5 at the door. A panel discussion with visual and performing artists will follow the screening.

This documentary focuses on Joséphine Baker's life and work from a black perspective and presents the artist both as a mirror of European colonial fantasies and as a symbol of the worldwide black consciousness movement of the 20th century. Pioneers of black dance, such as Geoffrey Holder, Arthur Mitchell, Carmen de Lavallade, Maurice Hines and Elsa Wolliaston, recall their stage appearances and encounters with Baker; biographers and historians comment on well-known and unknown footage and photographs. Clichés that have persisted to this day are deconstructed and the underlying facts are set in a new historical context. Joséphine Baker was the first black diva who thought and acted in global dimensions. She became a star in Europe and a world-wide symbol of peace and a better understanding among nations and different cultures.

The Langston Hughes African American Film Festival (LHAAFF) is an annual event presented by the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center in central Seattle. The LHAAFF presents films from independent filmmakers from around the world. The LHAAFF features panel discussions, screenplay readings, training workshops, matinée screenings for middle and high school youth and in-depth discussions with filmmakers, industry professionals and local community leaders.

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. www.langstonblackfilmfest.org

2009 Festival News

Join us for nine days of thoughtful, inspiring and irreverent films featuring
filmmaker talkbacks, screenplay readings, workshops, panel chats and
provocative discussions –from across the aisle and across neighborhoods.

· Sixth Annual Langston Hughes African American Film Festival: Saturday April 18, 2009 - Sunday April 26, 2009

· Single Tickets Available March 30, 2009: Opening/Closing Night: $15;

Regular Showtimes: Adults: $7; Seniors: $5; Youth Under 16: $2.

· AVAILABLE NOW - “Langston Pass” All Festival Pass $75 at: www.brownpapertickets.com/event/59800

· Single tickets Available at www.BrownPaperTickets.com OR LHPAC Box Office.

· All screenings held at Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center: 104 17th Avenue South, Seattle, WA.

· Updated film details, schedule and information is available at www.langstonblackfilmfest.org

or by calling 206-326-1088.

· Check out the blog at http://lhaaffbside.blogspot.com/

For up to the minute festival updates Twitter: http://twitter.com/LHAAFF

Festival Highlights

· Celia the Queen- (West Coast Premiere) The story of the legendary Afro Cuban Diva Celia Cruz. Partnership with CineSeattle, the Seattle International Latino Film Festival – Closing night gala follows. www.celiathequeen.com

· Us: A Love Story- (Seattle Premiere) A beautiful and haunting allegory exploring the relationships between Blacks and Whites. Filmmaker Alrick Brown in attendance. www.usalovestory.com

· Prince of Broadway- (Seattle Premiere) Sean Baker’s award winning film showcases the underbelly of the wholesale fashion district through the eyes of Lucky and Levon; two immigrant men struggling to confront what is real and what is fake. www.princeofbroadway.com

· Hip Hop Film Mini-fest. Features B-Girl Be and 206 Zulu by local filmmaker Georgio Brown and Masizake: Building Each Other by local filmmaker Scott Macklin.

· Carmen and Geoffrey- (Seattle Premiere) An intertwined video history that explores the devoted relationship of dancers Geoffrey Holder and Carmen De Lavallade.

· 13th Amendment-(Seattle Premiere) This documentary short follows a 90-year-old great-great-grandmother on her trek to vote for Barack Obama in the 2008 Pennsylvania primary. Having voted all her life, this is her first opportunity to vote for a black man for President of the United States.

· Production (Seattle premiere) - Danielle's job as script coordinator for a popular TV drama changes when the producers plan to shoot an ill-conceived "urban" episode.

BOBBIE AND JEROME play opens!

Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center Presents World Premiere Play: Bobbie and Jerome

Performances: October 7-26, 2008
Opening/Press Night: October 10, 2008 7:30 pm
Live Theatre Week: Stonecarving Open Studio Tour 10/13 6-8pm
Free Night of Theater 10/16

Seattle WA, -- Much like stonecarvers themselves, Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center Artistic Director Jacqueline Moscou and local playwright Daniel W. Owens have been perfecting, sculpting, and shaping the play Bobbie and Jerome for over four years. They met in 1992 and planned for years to work together. In 2004 Owens asked Moscou to set up an early reading and work through some rewrites. Immediately Moscou said yes, and together they readied Bobbie and Jerome for the LHPAC stage.

Connecting with the Stonemason's Union and a seasoned stone carving professional to consult was crucial to the play's development and success. West Seattle stone carver Sabah Al-Dhaher joined the creative team and was tasked with leading a special intensive "Stonecarving Boot Camp" for the playwright, director, and actors. "I will never look at a rock the same way again! My hands are still recovering," says local actor G. To'mas Jones. who plays the role of Bobbie.

Bobbie and Jerome is the captivating story of two cousins fighting their addictions, their joined past, and each other. The complex art of stone carving is at the play's core and an authentic depiction of the craft is crucial to the play's success. Errol is the "Stone Yard's" master mason who admires both Bobbie and Jerome for their talent as stone carvers, but also fears for their futures. Set in the stone yard of a gothic Harlem cathedral in 1998, this world premiere drama opens a lens into the lives of two men struggling to save the Stone Yard and settle a past score.

"Bobbie and Jerome embodies everything LHPAC is about. We create a home for African American arts and its artists, and are dedicated to the development of new works," says Jacque Moscou. Throughout Bobbie and Jerome's development process LHPAC has pooled creative resources and connected with many different corners of the artistic community. Moscou continues, "Art transforms people's lives. This play drives that message home. Personally, connecting with art through stonecarving has been a blast!"

On October 13 the general public is invited to get a taste of "Stonecarving Boot Camp" and chat with the actors, director, playwright, and local stone carver Sabah Al-dhaher at his open studio tour. This free event will be held from 6-8 pm at 3838

Delridge Way SW and is part of Theatre Puget Sound's Live Theatre Week.

LHPAC always encourages new audiences to experience the thrill of Live Theatre. October 7 is a "Pay-What-You-Can-Preview" performance and LHPAC will participate in Live Theatre Week's FREE Night of theatre on October 16th.

Bobbie and Jerome, written by Daniel W. Owens and directed by Jacqueline Moscou, will have its world premiere at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center October 7-26, 2008. Marcel DavisG. To'mas Jones plays his cousin Bobbie. Ron Davids plays the master mason Errol. The Set Designer who brings a stone yard indoors is Tommer Peterson. Sound Designer Herbert Thompson will add jazz elements to the production. Doris Black will design the costumes and Stephen Deibert is the lighting designer.
plays Jerome and

Bobbie and Jerome is recommended for ages 12 and older. Performances will be held at Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center at 17th & Yesler in Seattle. Previews are Oct.7-9 at 7:30 pm. Opening Night is October 10 at 7:30 w

ith a special "Taste of Harlem" reception afterwards. Shows run Thursdays - Sundays at 7:30 p.m. with 2 p.m. matinees on Saturdays and Sundays (no 2 p.m. matinee on Oct 26).

Advance ticket prices are $20 for adults; $15 for youth and seniors; and $24 day of show at the door. A special discount is offered to groups of 10 or more. Ticket Line: 206-386-1177. Tickets are available at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center and through Brown Paper Tickets: www.brownpapertickets.com or 1-800-838-3006.

Dan Owens'

play Mutambi and Lindstrom was read in 2006 at the McCarter Theater in Princeton, New Jersey. Stage/screen and television actor John Amos read the role of Mutambi. Owens' The Measuring Stick [aka The Chisler] was staged in 2003 as part of the 2nd Annual Seattle FringeACT Festival of New Original Works. He wrote the book for the musical Little Ham which received "rave" reviews in the New York Times and The New Yorker in December 2001. Little Ham was also produced Off-Broadway in the Fall of 2002. He also wrote the book for The MoreYou Get - The More You Want, which was produced Off-Broadway by the FDCAC. In 2002 his play Forever My Darlin' had an extended run at Chicago's ETA Theater. And in the summer of 1999 Mutambi and Lindstrom was produced at the 15th Annual National Black Theater Festival in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

In 1997, Owenswas commissioned by Seattle's ACT Theatre, as part of their "FirstACT" play development project, to write Aunt Lou and Miss Sara. His 1992 play, The Gang on the Roofd his work produced by: The New Federal Theater, The Frederick Douglass Creative Arts Center (FDCAC), The Negro Ensemble, The George Street Playhouse (New Brunswick, New Jersey), and The Westport Summer Playhouse (Westport, Conn.). He was twice a participant in the Eugene O'Neill National Playwrights Conference (Waterford, Conn.) and was the recipient of a Rockefeller Grant for Playwriting. Mr. Owens graduated from the University of Massachusetts at Boston with a B.A. in English, attended Yale School of Drama, and receivedhis M.Ed. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He is a native of Malden, Massachusetts and currently lives in Seattle with his daughter Gabriela. was one of six grant recipients from the Fund for new American Plays - Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. That play was successfully produced by the Capital Theater Company in Albany, New York. While living in New York City Mr. Owens ha

Sabah Al-Dhaher was born in Nasriyah, Iraq. At the age of fifteen he was accepted to the Institute of Fine Arts in

Basra, Iraq, where he lived and received his training in classical art, graduating

first in his class in 1989. Al-Dhaher fled Iraq in 1991 due to his involvement in a failed uprising against the regime of Saddam Hussein at the end of the first Gulf war. After spending 2 ? years in a refugee camp in the desert of Saudi Arabia, he came to the U.S. as a political refugee in 1993. Al-Dhaher currently teaches stone carving at the Pratt Fine Arts Center in Seattle. Visit www.aldhaher.net for more information.

2 films on contemporary Islamic life in the U.S.A.,December 13

The Langston Hughes African American Film Festival Underground Railroad Film Series presents two films about aspects of contemporary Muslim-American life: COVERED GIRLS and ISLAM BEHIND BARS

7:00 P.M. Thursday, December 13 at Central Cinema - $5.00

1411 21st Avenue, Seattle 98122 / (206) 328-3230 / www.central-cinema.com. For show information & updates, call the Langston Hughes African American Film Festival phone info line: (206)326-1088

Covered Girls

A film by Janet McIntyre and Amy Wendel. 22 min.

Muslim-American girls are lively and full of fun -- despite wearing the traditional 'hijab'. How do they fare after 9/11?

Have you ever seen Muslim-American high school girls in full-length dresses and traditional hijabs (head scarves) playing full-court basketball? Prior to 9/11, the average Westerner had little more than one-dimensional views of Islam and Muslim women. Covered Girls opens a window into the lives of a colorful and startling group of Muslim-American teenage girls in New York and challenges the stereotypes many Americans may have about this culture.

The film documents the daily experience of Kiren who coaches her high school basketball team, Amnah who has a black belt in Karate, and Tavasha who is cutting a CD of original rap songs. Their traditional clothing allows them to understand prejudices and to speak out about their faith, especially after 9/11, when people spat upon, pushed and threatened them. They are quite happy that their dress allows men to look at them as people instead of as sex objects. The film follows the girls from a Harlem recording studio to a Brooklyn mosque, revealing typical teenagers suddenly caught in a tug-of-war between religious extremism and the American dream.

"Excellent Outreach tool" - Middle East Studies Association

"By depicting the girls in their full-length dresses and hijabs behaving just like teens in western clothing, the film gently reminds us to observe the adage about not judging a book by its cover. The voices we hear are casual, straightforward and heartfelt The background rap music fits well into the black and white urban scene. This short film is an excellent choice for a discussion about bigotry amongst teenagers. Recommended'

Homa Naficy, Hartford Public Library, Hartford, CT for EMRO

National Women's Studies Association, 2004
Best Short Documentary, Nashville Independent Film Festival, 2003
Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, 2003
Official Selection, Walker Art Center's Women with Vision Film Festival, 2003
Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, 2003

Islam Behind Bars

Written and Directed by John Curtin & Paul Carvalho
Produced by Kaos Productions Inc. 58 min.

No religion is growing faster in Western prisons than Islam. In the United States alone, there are more than 200,000 Muslim inmates. They are mainly Black converts searching for an alternative to Christianity, which many reject as the slave-master's faith. Islam Behind Bars takes an unflinching look at the disruptive power of poisonous religious demagoguery, but also leaves the viewer with a better understanding of an intriguing new fact of the Black experience in the West.

The prisoners follow a path first made famous by Malcolm X, who went to jail for pimping and petty theft and came out a fiery Muslim preacher. He had discovered a strict religion which could bring discipline and dignity to men whose lives had been devastated by violence and drugs.

In the aftermath of September 11th, authorities fear that terrorist organizations may recruit Muslim prison converts to attack the West. Richard Reid, the “shoe bomber” was probably recruited while in a British prison. The film shows that there are some imprisoned Muslims who find peace and a respect for all of God’s creations in their new faith, and others who direct their anger at the West.

For show information & updates, call the Langston Hughes African American Film Festival phone info line: (206)326-1088

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

American Ethnic Cleansing Explored in “Banished”, November 2nd

Groups Work Together to Host Seattle Premiere of Critically Acclaimed Film

Seattle, WA – Filmmaker Marco Williams will be on hand to discuss his widely acclaimed documentary, “Banished” as part of the Langston Hughes African American Film Festival Underground Railroad Film Series in partnership with the Seattle Office of Civil Rights and the Seattle Art Museum. The film will screen for the community Friday, November 2^nd at 1PM at the Seattle Art Museum and 7pm at the Rainier Valley Cultural Center. Williams will also participate as guest speaker in the Seattle Race Conference held on Saturday, November 3 at the Seattle Center. Both events are open to the public.

BANISHED chronicles both the history and legacy of three southern Counties who practiced violent eviction of Black communities, burning their homes, lynching the men and appropriating their land.

New York Times writer Manhola Dargis describes this infamous period in history as a time when “Reconstruction died, and Jim Crow moved right in.” Director Marco Williams’ film patiently addresses this American tragedy with an unflinching and thoughtful investigation of racism, responsibility and land ownership.

The film not only reflects on the past, but also explores the impact on the descendants of these communities whose combination of silence and shame beg the questions of history, memory and contemporary justice। Throughout the film, Williams searches the recollections of current and past residents whose stories reveal the resident’s myopic sensibility, which keeps these towns mostly white today. Williams’ film delves into the impact of these violent expulsions and reframes the notion of reparations, providing thoughtful context to this complex subject.

The three counties studied, Forsyth County (Georgia), Pierce City (Missouri) and Harrison (Arkansas) remain virtually all white and their victims’ descendants remain uncompensated.
Filmmaker Marco Williams interviews both groups. Described as handsome, soft-spoken, articulate and unfailingly polite, critics site Williams as the perfect foil for drawing out KKK members and guilty liberals alike. He takes an incendiary subject and through force of personality weaves a thoughtful investigation of racism, responsibility and real estate.

Williams will be on hand Friday evening to introduce the film. The screening will be followed with discussion hosted by the Langston Hughes African American Film Festival and partners at the Rainier Valley Cultural Center. On Saturday, Williams will participate in the Seattle Race Conference, bringing excerpts of the film and inviting the conference's 300 participants to reflect on the work. Williams and co producers Working Films and the Center for Investigative Reporting have launched a national outreach program to discuss the issues raised in the film.

The Race Conference keynote will be presented by Dr. James Gregory, Director of the University of Washington Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project with presentation titled, "Remembering Segregated Seattle and the Civil Rights Movements that Changed Our City. This screening, community discussion and connection to the Seattle Race Conference will provide a powerful platform for Seattle and King County audiences to address our history and provide context for the issues of racism faced yet today across the country and in our own back yard.

The Langston Hughes African American Film Festival and Underground Railroad Film Series are programs of Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center. The Seattle Race Conference is presented by a coalition of community groups in partnership with the Seattle Office for Civil Rights and the Seattle Center. The Seattle Art Museum is the Pacific Northwest’s premiere venue for art, with more than 23,000 objects from across cultures, exploring the connections between past and present, connecting people to art.

Screening Date/Time/Location

Date: Friday, November 2, 2007

Time: 1PM City of Seattle Staff & 7PM Public Screening Doors at 6:30 ($5 suggested donation)

Location: 1PM Seattle Art Museum ; 7PM Rainier Valley Cultural Center

For info on the Langston Hughes Underground Railroad Film Series- www.langstonblackfilmfest.org

To register for the Race Conference visit www.seattleraceconference.org

For info on SAM, visit www.seattleartmuseum.org

Film Facts:

(USA 2007) 87 Minutes Official Website www.banishedthefilm.com

Director/Producer : Marco Williams

Co-Producer: Maia Harris

Editors: Kathryn Barnier, Sandra Christie

Camera: Stephen McCarthy

Sound: J.T. Takagi

Music Composed by: David Murray

Awards:

BANISHED won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the Miami International Film Festival, the Spectrum Award at the Full Frame Film Festival, and the Nashville Film Festival's Best Documentary Award.

Reviews-

“Williams plays on a distinctly American sense of decency by appealing to his audience's notion of property rather than justice: "We wanted to reintroduce the thought of reparation or reconciliation around an idea that's perhaps more tangible to people than solely reparation for slavery."” Charlie Olsky, Indie Wire

“Williams's very presence in the all-white communities he documents is a canny litmus test ... It doesn't matter that Williams is Harvard-educated, or that he's articulate and hip. As our director sits at a kitchen table in Harrison, Arkansas, listening to the local Klan leader matter-of-factly disclose his disdain for blacks, it's painfully clear that in many small (and large) towns throughout America, the legacy of banishment remains: Black people are not only unwelcome, but unsafe. Just ask the Jena 6.” Lisa Katzman, Village Voice

“It’s stunning how loudly the dead can speak, and with such eloquence.”
– Manohla Dargis, The New York Times

“Goes the extra mile by confronting the descendants of the perpetrators.”
– Time Out NY

“With a forceful and disturbing, and at the same time emotionally resonant sense of investigative inquiry, Williams fearlessly burrows into the depths of this hidden history with brave, unrelenting determination. A rare treasure in the annals of cinema.”
– Prairie Miller, WBAI Radio

“Investigates the distressing and awkward situation that arises when African-American families
return to land where their ancestors were forced to retreat in the face of domineering racism.
Rather than following an activist agenda, Williams’s intelligent personal narrative raises
monumental questions surrounding ownership and retribution.”
– Eric Kohn, New York Press

“A deft drilling down into a little-known or consciously forgotten-about piece of American history.
An important film that renegotiates the issue of reparations.”
– Williams Cole, The Brooklyn Rail

Underground Railroad Film Series: Stop #3

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

THIS IS NOLLYWOOD, Thursday, November 15, 2007 – location TBA. Please call (206)326-1088 or visit www.langstonblackfilmfest.org or http://lhaaffbside.blogspot.com/ for updated news about location. $5 suggested donation at the door.

56 minutes, 2007, Nigeria. Producer: Franco Sacchi and Robert Caputo. Associate Producer: Aimee Corrigan; Director: Franco Sacchi

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