Afrika Eye Film Festival 2011

MUGABE FILM SELLS OUT at AMSTERDAM.

2011-11-27T12:53:00.000-08:00

ROBERT MUGABE ...WHAT HAPPENED?

sold out at IDFA and made a whole page in national paper De Volkskrant.

The man who fought to free his country and then destroyed it.

BACK FOR A WEEK @ WATERSHED, BRISTOL 2 – 8 Dec 2011

Book Now http://www.watershed.co.uk

Fri 2 Dec screening will be followed by Director’s Q and A

Now eligible for a BAFTA award. Help it win by showing how popular it is!

Distribute 5000 DVDs in Zimbabwe - see buzzbnk

2011-11-22T08:48:00.000-08:00

ROBERT MUGABE... WHAT HAPPENED? returns to Watershed for a week’s run!

The UK premiere of Simon Bright’s Robert Mugabe....What Happened? played to a packed house last month at Afrika Eye Film Festival and has been gathering momentum by the day.

Ingrid and Simon are currently at IDFA in Amsterdam, where Robert Mugabe...What Happened? will have its European premiere this week. As well as returning to Watershed from 2 – 9 December, the film will be screened at LSE on Monday 28^th November and at the European Parliament on 6 December. The film is also now eligible for a BAFTA.

2011-11-03T04:09:00.000-07:00

AFRIKA EYE 2011 - A STORMING SUCCESS!!

Afrika Eye Film Festival has just enjoyed its most successful run since it began seven years ago! From Friday 28 to Sunday 30 October, Watershed in Bristol was packed with eager viewers of all ages and ethnicities. Tickets for the opening film, SING YOUR SONG, and for ROBERT MUGABE...WHAT HAPPENED? were like gold dust and many were turned away disappointed and demanding more screenings be organised! Watershed recorded a 36% increase in attendance compared to last year’s festival and what’s more, discussion continued outside the cinema doors, heated and political. From Afrika Eye headquaters, we must ask... Does this reflect a widening interest in African culture and politics as the continent’s global importance is set to heighten through the 21^st century?

Long Live Afrika Eye!

A few of the highlights so far....

Hassan Erraji, Moroccan maestro, leads the launch party.

Shema mesmorises the crowd with her Middle Eastern dancing.

Simon Bright, festival director, enjoys the launch party in Watershed bar.

Lord Paul Boateng speaking on challenges and opportunities for democracy in Africa to a packed house.

HARRY BELAFONTE - BOOK NOW

2011-10-26T07:06:00.000-07:00

SING YOUR SONG: the story of Harry Belafonte, singer and activist.

OPENING FILM at WATERSHED 8.00 FOR 8.30PM + AFTERPARTY.

TICKETS www.watershed.co.uk or Box Office 0117 927 5100

2011-10-24T08:05:00.000-07:00

AFRIKA EYE'S

Tomorrow (Tuesday 25 Oct), Afrika Eye's youth jury gather to determine the winner of this year's EYEFULL competition. The 2011 programme features shorts from all over the world and offers a covetous prize to best Bristol entry. The prize comes from ICON FILMS, a prestigios Bristol-based production company, which shall support and mentor the making of a short film by the 2011 EYEFULL winner.

GET YOUR TICKETS FOR EYEFULL

and see some of Bristol's finest young filmmaking talent!

EYEFULL screens at the Watershed this Saturday 29 Oct at 3pm.

It provides a great opportunity for young Bristol filmmakers to have their films viewed by production companies and television commissioning editors.

Also to feature in the EYEFULL programme is the new short film, AFRICA TO URBAN, which traces the routes of Urban music back to Africa. The film was developed when Loveworks, a Bristol agency working with inner-city young people, identified a widespread desire to investigate the roots of Urban music through documentary. Loveworks applied for Heritage Lottery Funding to get the project rolling. Afrika Eye has since sponsored the young filmmakers to attend a series of in-depth filmmaking workshops with Bristol community and educational production company, Firstborn Creatives.

HEAVY METAL AT AFRIKA EYE!

2011-10-19T06:34:00.000-07:00

THE SATANIC ANGELS

film from Morocco

Sunday 30 October 14.30 Watershed

THE ANGELS OF SATAN

14.30pm SUNDAY 30 OCTOBER

14 young Casablanca hard rockers are arrested for Satanism and 'shaking the foundations of Islam'. Their case draws both support and condemnation from all levels of society. Based on real events, the film highlights the increasing grip of fundamentalism on an ostensibly secular society.

Tickets £4.60/£3.60 Watershed www.watershed.co.uk or Box Office 0117 927 5100

Simon on BBC

2011-10-17T10:41:00.000-07:00

Simon on BBC's Saturday Live 15 Oct!

Listen again on BBC i-player (around the 35 min mark)

2011-10-11T08:03:00.000-07:00

HEAPS OF GOOD NEWS!

SIMON BRIGHT, Festival Director, was at BAFTA on 23 September as part of the documentary jury for the South African ‘Golden Rhino’ awards. The champagne flowed ……

And just today, Tues 11 Oct, we had a press screening of Simon’s film ROBERT MUGABE…WHAT HAPPENED? at Watershed. (Premiere on 29 Oct at 20.30hrs – tickets already going fast! Get to the Watershed www.watershed.co.uk to get yours.)

Simon has given several interviews this week (links coming soon). He'll be on ITV West on The West Country Tonight this evening (Tues 11 Oct). Tune in to catch the story of how the film was made.

Tickets: ROBERT MUGABE…WHAT HAPPENED? 29Oct £7.20/£5.60.  Online at www.watershed.co.uk or Watershed box office 0117 927 5100.  

Don't miss tickets for....

PAUL BOATENG 

Sat 29 Oct 19.00hrs Watershed   

Afrika Eye and Bristol Festival of Ideas join forces to host an inspiring talk and Q & A with Lord Paul Boateng. Entitled AFRICA RISING... CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FACING NORTH AND SUBSAHARAN AFRICA, Boateng will expand on the festival’s core themes of democracy, dictatorship and revolution in Africa. Saturday evening promises excitement, with the talk taking place between screenings of AN AFRICAN ELECTION, a documentary about Ghana’s 2008 election, and Simon Bright’s ROBERT MUGABE... WHAT HAPPENED? - the fascinating story of a man who built a country and then destroyed it.

 Paul Boateng says of Afrika Eye: “This exciting festival provides a welcome opportunity to focus on the challenges and opportunities that Africa presents at this critical time.”

Tickets: £4.60/£3.60.

 Online www.watershed.co.uk or Watershed box office 0117 927 5100.  

See full Afrika Eye 2011 programme under ‘Programme’ tab.

Bristol Festival of Ideas: www.ideasfestival.co.uk

PRIZE FOR EYEFULL

2011-09-30T05:45:00.000-07:00

We're delighted: ICON FILMS have agreed to give an exciting PRIZE to the best Bristol-based short film (max 20 min) entered for Eyefull.

Theme: 'Africa Alive'

See EYEFULL tab on Afrika Eye website

Get your film seen by production companies or TV commissioning editors

Closing date for Bristol entries extended to 5 October.

PRIZE details:

ICON FILMS WILL SUPPORT and MENTOR THE MAKING OF A SHORT FILM BY THE WINNER

Icon Films are a busy and successful Bristol documentary production house: see http://www.iconfilms.co.uk. Their 3 part documentary on Sandhurst is running on BBC at the moment.

AFRIKA EYE OUTREACH

2011-09-29T03:51:00.000-07:00

AFRIKA EYE in the COMMUNITY

UPCOMING SCREENINGS

We screened KIRIKOU AND THE SORCERESS at KINGSDOWN HOMEGROWN in St Matthews Church on 17 Sep. Now there's a chance to see the lovely MBIRA MUSIC at ST WERBURGHS CENTRE and there's African fun in the sun at AFRIFEST with children's music film MWE BANA BANDI from Zambia at WESTBURY METHODIST CHURCH 6.30pm Fri 30 Sep and Ghanaian comedy NO TIME TO DIE at MALCOLM X CENTRE 4.00pm Sat 1 Oct

HERE IT IS: THE FULL WORKS

2011-09-22T02:03:00.000-07:00

ALL FILMS AT WATERSHED, 1 Canon's Rd, Bristol BS1 5TX 0117 927 5100

TICKETS: Watershed Box Office www.watershed.co.uk

DATES: 28 - 30 OCTOBER 2011

SYNOPSES from website 'synopses' tab (for those who didn't find it).

Fri 28 Oct 20.30 Sing Your Song dir Susanne Rostock US

Wonderfully archived, and told with a remarkable sense of intimacy, visual style, and musical panache, Susanne Rostock’s inspiring biographical documentary, SING YOUR SONG, surveys the life and times of singer/actor/activist Harry Belafonte. From his rise to fame as a singer, inspired by Paul Robeson, and his experiences touring a segregated country, to his provocative crossover into Hollywood, Belafonte’s groundbreaking career impacted many democracy and social-justice movements. Rostock reveals Belafonte as a tenacious hands-on activist, who worked intimately with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., mobilized celebrities for social justice, participated in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, and took action to counter gang violence, prisons, and the incarceration of youth. Because of his beliefs, Belafonte drew unwarranted invasions by the FBI into both his personal life and career. But an indomitable sense of optimism motivates his path even today as, at the age of 84, he continues to ask, "What do we do now?" £7.20 / £5.60 Tickets include priority admission to party

Fri 28 Oct 22.30 Party with HASSAN ERRAJI

Blind musician Hassan Erraji plays oud, violin, and percussion. Born in the village of Tazart, south of Marrakech, Hassan was introduced at an early age to the traditional music of the Atlas Mountains, practised and taught by ear and passed on from generation to generation.

Now living in Leeds, Erraji has worked with the groups Arabesque and Belcikal to create a variety of innovative sounds that draw from jazz, electronic, classical, and arabic sources. Fresh from a storming gig at WOMAD, this is music to dance and trance to.

''…He made his first instrument from a tin can and a piece of wood with bicycle brake cables for strings and losing his sight at the age of six only made his passion for the universe of sounds deeper. ''

listen

3 – 24Oct Video Workshop (full) with LOVEWORKS

Afrika Eye are supporting Firstborn Creatives to run a video workshop with Loveworks, a local Bristol organisation that offers practical and emotional support for vulnerable young people in and around Bristol. Loveworks provide a self referring mentoring service and also run cutting edge creative projects that serve as a means to engage hard to reach young people. The video workshop is producing a piece ready for the EYEFULL competition. Working title is 'From Africa to Urban' , and it looks at the history of urban music.
loveworks newsletter

Sat 29 Oct 11.00 MWE BANA BANDI Half term event for children.

dir Kristina Tuura/Paivi Takala 29’ Finland/Zambia 1998

Children’s film and music workshop The film follows two school boys in the Zambian village of Wapamesa on a typical day during the harvest. Music is an integral part of the day, where most things come from the children's imagination: guitars are made from reeds and shakers from corn cobs. Everyday events are deeply and sensitively expressed through their singing as they tell the story of daily life in the village plus Q & A with of one of the directors. In the workshop that follows, children will learn how to make music using everyday objects. £4.60/£3.60 Workshop free. Book workshop place when you buy ticket – limited workshop places. Adults only when accompanied by a child. For children under 10

Sat 29 Oct 15.00 EYEFULL

90’ of shorts by and about Africans. Prize for best Bristol based entry.

Programme announced week before festival £4.60 / £3.60

Enter and send your DVDs to 17 Cotham Side, Bristol BS6 5TP by 30 Sep

Sat 29 Oct 17.00 AN AFRICAN ELECTION dir Jarreth Merz 89’ US/Ghana 2010

Edge of seat tension as parties slog it out in run up to Ghana’s 2008 general election. Will dirty tricks win the day or will the process be held to be free and fair? AN AFRICAN ELECTION is filled with big personalities, colourful speech-making and high-stakes intrigue. Following the steps that lead to the election, the re-vote and the run-off in this young democracy, Merz addresses many of the problems of contemporary politics in a two-party state, from poisonous rhetoric to corruption of the vote. Parallels with the US are strictly coincidental. £7.20 / £5.60

JARRETH MERZ

Jarreth Merz is a Swiss born actor of African descent, who is also director and producer. He grew up in Ghana, Germany and Switzerland and speaks five languages fluently. He studied directing in New York and co-founded The Cell Film Production company in 2005 and Urban Republic Films in 2006. Projects include: ‘Abeka Junction’, a mystery thriller/family drama set in Africa, and ‘Spurlos’, a mystery thriller/family drama set in Switzerland, and based on a true story.

watch trailer

Sat 29 Oct 19.00 AFRICA RISING: LORD PAUL BOATENG speaks on challenges and opportunities for democracy in North and sub-Saharan Africa. Paul Boateng is a British Labour Party politician, who was the MP for Brent South from 1987 to 2005, becoming the UK's first black Cabinet Minister in May 2002, when he was appointed Chief Secretary to the Treasury. Following his departure from the House of Commons, he served as the British High Commissioner to South Africa from March 2005 to May 2009. He was introduced as a member of the House of Lords on 1 July 2010. Hosted in conjunction with Bristol Festival of Ideas. £4.60 / £3.60

watch Paul Boateng on Africa and digital technology

Sat 29 Oct 20.30 ROBERT MUGABE … WHAT HAPPENED? dir Simon Bright 82’ Zimbabwe 2011

SNEAK WORLD PREVIEW Mugabe’s been in the news but here’s a chance to watch the life and times behind the Shakespearean rise and fall of the man who built a successful African country, and then destroyed it. Damned as a terrorist, knighted by Queen Elizabeth then suspended from the Commonwealth, Mugabe remains in power after 30 years. The film explores what happened, through interviews with some of his closest comrades and draws from a unique collection of Southern African archives that powerfully evokes his reign. £7.20 / £5.60

Plus Q and A with Bristol-based director Simon Bright, who once supported Mugabe and was later arrested by him.
watch trailer

SIMON BRIGHT

Simon Bright is a Zimbabwean director and producer. Together with Ingrid Sinclair, he established Zimmedia, making films to combat the political and military propaganda of South Africa. He produced two fiction films selected for Cannes, ‘Flame’ and ‘Bintou’. His documentary MBIRA MUSIC won a prize at Fespaco. His work celebrates the diversity of African culture, history and environment. He sees making film as a way of exploring the inner workings of culture and politics – as an excuse to be where you are not supposed to be and to ask questions that have not been asked.

Sun 30 Oct 13.00 UTOPIA IN ETHIOPIA PRESENTATION dir Paulina Tervo UK/Ethiopia 2011

Tervo has been working with rural Ethiopians who have established a democratic village, where religion is openly questioned and men and women have equal rights. Although the villagers receive death threats, they carry on undaunted. They have recently participated in "The Awra Amba Story", a multi-platform, multimedia project that explores the life and philosophy of the village through a variety of approaches and media formats including a web documentary and interactive exhibition. Paulina will present the work-in-progress and discuss the emerging media and social change with Mandy Rose of UWE’s Digital Cultures Research Centre. £4.60/£3.60

PAULINA TERVO

Paulina is a documentary filmmaker with several years of directing, producing, writing and filming experience. She is passionate about human rights and social and development issues, and has recently started making films about these topics. She has professional working experience of the NGO sector, as well as a wide social network within broadcasting.

Website

Sun 30 Oct 14.30 THE SATANIC ANGELS dir Ahmed Boulane 84’ Morocco 2007

14 young hard-rockers are arrested for Satanism and ‘shaking the foundations of Islam’. Imprisoned for up to a year after a surrealistic trial, their case becomes a cause celebre, attracting partisans from all social strata. Basing his script on real events, Ahmed Boulane fearlessly places blame at all levels of society, using the sheer absurdity of the charges to highlight the increasing grip of fundamentalism on an ostensibly secular state.

£4.60 / £3.60

AHMED BOULANE

Ahmed Boulane was born in the former pirates' republic of Sale, Morocco. He was an actor with the Moroccan National Theater Company and the national Moroccan radio theater troupe from 1974 to 1977. In 1996 he created his production company, Boulane-O'Bryne Production (B'OB Prod), to produce ‘Voyage dans le Passé’ and ‘Ali, Rabiaa et les autres’, two films that earned him critical acclaim.

Sun 30 Oct 16.30 NO MORE FEAR dir Mourad Ben Cheick 74’ Tunisia 2011

The first feature-length documentary about the Tunisian revolution, NO MORE FEAR was selected for a special screening at Cannes this year. The film brings together news footage of the demonstrations with a variety of players in the revolution, providing a diverse picture of the groundswell that rose up to topple the dictatorial regime. While first time filmmaker, Ben Cheikh, focuses largely on the educated middle class, interviews with people on the street make clear the cross-class alliances that brought down authoritarian President Ben Ali after 23 increasingly repressive years. Passionate, raw, immediate, NO MORE FEAR depicts a revolution spearheaded by the young, who overcame the population's long-ingrained fear and rallied the nation via social network websites like Facebook, YouTube and blogs. £7.20 / £5.60

Sun 30 Oct 18.45 VIVA RIVA dir Djo Tunda wa Munga 96’ Democratic Republic of Congo 2010

Riva is a small time operation who returns to Kinshasa with a fortune in hijacked petrol. With wads of cash and out for a good time, Riva is soon entranced by the beautiful nightclub siren Nora, the kept woman of a local gangster. Into the mix comes Riva’s Angolan crime lord ex-boss, relentlessly seeking his stolen shipment of gasoline. Riva is the perfect embodiment of director Djo Tunda Wa Munga’s portrayal of Kinshasa as a seductively vibrant, lawless, fuel-starved sprawl of shantytown, gated villas, bordellos and nightclubs. £7.20 / £5.60

watch trailer

DJO TUNDA WA MUNGA

Djo Tunda Wa Munga was born in 1972 in Kinshasa, DRC. At the age of 10 he left for Belgium and after completing school, he studied art and, later, at the National Film School of Belgium. During this time he directed his first short films, after which he soon returned to the DRC to work on documentary projects produced for the BBC, ARTE and Danish TV. He directed a number of documentaries for the local market and went on to create the country’s first film production company, Suka Productions!

FULL PROGRAMME OUT NOW!

2011-09-19T09:58:00.000-07:00

Afrika Eye programme set - films from Tunisia and Morocco to Zambia and Zimbabwe, passing through the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana and the USA.

Plus shorts from all over like Madagascar, Egypt and Bristol!!

See PROGRAMME for times, SYNOPSES and BIOS for the story and prices.

DISCUSSIONS: Africa Rises with Ghanaian Labour Lord PAUL BOATENG
MULTI PLATFORM MULTI MEDIA event with democratic villagers in Ethiopia
CHILDREN MUSIC Half term event with film from Zambia plus workshop
Screenings St Werburghs Centre, Malcolm X Centre and Westbury Methodist Church.

FIRST FILMS SELECTED

2011-09-05T07:55:00.000-07:00

Afrika Eye's first films selected.

Youth in revolution

using Facebook and Twitter

Tunisia, January 2011

How? Why? What was it like?

We’re proud to show Cannes favourite NO MORE FEAR, first feature doc of the Tunisian revolution. Told through the eyes of three activists, brave citizens who all suffer the ‘fear’ of imprisonment or disappearance, but nevertheless use their positions to speak out and force change.

More information about other films soon.

ENTER SHORT FILMS FOR EYEFULL

2011-08-15T02:37:00.000-07:00

GET FILMING - ENTER YOUR SHORT FILM!!

EYEFULL Sat 29 Oct

90’ ofgreat international short films

Watershed, Bristol Harbourside

· Theme: Africa alive

· Length: 1 - 20 minutes

· Screening format: DVD

DVD & biofilmography to

Afrika Eye, 17 Cotham Side, Bristol BS65TP, UK.

Closing date : September 30^th2011

*** Selected films from Bristol are eligiblefor a competition

REVOLUTION - DEMOCRACY - DICTATORSHIP

2011-07-20T08:32:00.000-07:00

2011 NORTH AFRICA has inspired this year's theme:

Revolution, democracy, dictatorship

Right now we’re packing up a great film programme that shows how music and song as well as political events can affect democratic change.

AFRIKA EYE 2011 Fri 28 - Sun 30 OCTOBER at WATERSHED

2011-03-31T09:48:00.000-07:00

Josephine Baker

HELLO EVERYONE!!
With festival dates now fixed, we're planning the programme. More African Diaspora films this year as well as the latest sizzlers from the continent. Festival director Ingrid Sinclair was film maker-in-residence at the African and Diaspora Film Festival in New York and saw some new and old stunners, like the one on the left about Josephine Baker.

EYEFULL shorts competitors - get your DVDs ready. The call will go out soon and we've already received our first entries.

We're also planning a collaboration with an African Film Festival this year - more news later.

AFRIKA EYE OPENING NIGHT SELL OUT & EYEFULL WINNERS

2010-11-04T15:22:00.000-07:00

Afrika Eye's opening film, BENDA BILILI set the scene with a sell out audience, while music from EXPLOSIVE NZAROMBA and AFROMIKE kept people dancing till late. Bristol EYEFULL winners were the charming animation A MAN, HIS WIFE AND A PIANO directed by Candice Pepperall and the beautifully scripted FATHER TO BE, written and directed by Sandro Granda and Ben McLean.

A TRULY NOBLE FILM

2010-10-30T16:49:00.000-07:00

COURTING JUSTICE Sun 31 Oct Watershed 13.00hrs

For years, South Africans fought a bitter struggle against the apartheid state.

Absorbing and moving, the women in South Africa's Consitutional Court make judgements that have improved many lives.

Courting Justice is about the women involved in the Constitutional Court. They come from diverse backgrounds and are entrusted with enormous responsibilities. Although the road is long and tricky, this film shows some of the inspirational thinking that has gone into building a new South Africa.

In 1994 Nelson Mandela was elected first black president. The new constitution was constructed after massive popular consultation, aiming for DEMOCRACY, SOCIAL JUSTICE, and FUNDAMENTAL HUMAN RIGHTS.

DAR4 WIN!!! FOOTBALL CHAMPS TAKE AFRIKA EYE TROPHY

2010-10-26T05:04:00.000-07:00

DAR4 won!!! Afrika Eye's football tournament, fought out on the battlefield of Netham Park, boasted 7 Bristol teams, including Darfuris (winners), Kenyans, Sudanese and Zimbabweans, with one team coming from as far as Newport. Player of the day CHRIS DIWAYI won tickets to our opening event. Football film, YELLOW CARD, grabbed the audience’s attention and the Zimbabwean meal complete with beef stew, cows feet and tripe was magnificent. Best of all, people who had never known each other, met and enjoyed themselves - and that’s part of what Afrika Eye is for.

Watershed Sunday Brunch & BEHIND THE RAINBOW Sun 31 Oct 11am

2010-10-25T04:41:00.000-07:00

Have brunch before BEHIND THE RAINBOW, a fascinating insight into South Africa’s transformation from revolution to democracy. Watch the fight: educated thinker vs man of the people. Can the pursuit of power lead a once idealistic movement to the same dictatorship it has overthrown?

Thabo Mbeki, an educated intellectual, succeeded Mandela as President in 1999. He transformed South Africa econcomically, but was forced to resign accused of interfering with the corruption trial of Jacob Zuma. Zuma, despite little formal education, was popular with the Trade Unions, the Communist Party and the women’s and youth leagues of the ANC ruling party. In May 2009 Jacob Zuma was sworn in as President of South Africa

Behind the Rainbow follows these two men, brothers-in-arms under Apartheid, whose duel for power threatened to tear apart the ANC and the country, as the poor desperately sought hope in change and the elite fought for the spoils of victory. Film tickets £7/£5.50 Brunch £7.25/£4.95

AFRIKA EYE OPENING NIGHT PARTY FRI 29 0CT WATERSHED

2010-10-13T11:42:00.000-07:00

Our opening night party

will definitely start with a bang! We'll have EXPLOSIVE NZAKOMBA firing us up with Congolese energy vibrating through their guitars and high spirited dancing while DJs AFROMIKE hit the pulse of highlife, jit-jive, soukous, and afrobeat. Dance the night away to the sounds of Africa and enjoy our celebration of its rhythms, colours, creativity and expression!

Opening night film ticket includes party. Film 8.30pm Party 10.30pm

Available Watershed booking office or online www.watershed.co.uk

Afrika Eye's 'Super Saturday' 5-a-side Football Tournament Sat 23 Oct 2pm

2010-10-05T08:49:00.001-07:00

Netham Park, Avonvale Road, Redfield, Bristol BS5 9RN

A fun day for family and kids with football, food and film!!

We begin with a 5-a-side football tournament between teams representing a vast cultural diversity, reminiscent of the South African World Cup! Matches in the lovely Netham Park are followed by a film in the new Pavilion. YELLOW CARD (88 mins) is set in Harare, Zimbabwe and follows 17 year old footballing sensation, Tiyane. Though his path to success is fraught with problems, it's also filled with hope, happiness and love. As you watch, eat a delicious African meal that continues the theme of African representation.

Register a team (£20 cheque or PO to Afrika Eye, 17 Cotham Side, Bristol BS6 5TP) or just come and enjoy the fun, the park and the film. Watch the football and film for free, food £3/£1.50 for children.

Full programme announcement!!!!

2010-10-04T06:07:00.000-07:00

_________________________________________________________________________________

Our programme’s ready! A HOT mix of films about music, injustice, South Africa and football.

Full details on programme tab.

Celebrate 50 years of Nigerian independence …

A Slice of Fela Sun 31 Oct 15:30

Dir: Gerard Schmidt 2010 USA 53 mins

The story of legendary Afrobeat musician and political icon Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, with excerpts from documentaries and recorded concerts. His red-hot music dealt with the political and social issues threatening him and many other Nigerians. Hugely influential, the music spread across Africa and through Black Power movements in America. Screening followed by a talk which will include the personal recollections of Rikki Stein, Fela’s long time manager. Presented in collaboration with THE NEW BLACK

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Afrika Eye and Ujima Radio partnership!

2010-09-19T15:35:00.000-07:00

We’re delighted - Afrika Eye have secured a media partnership with Ujima Radio, Bristol’s community radio station. So from now on you’ll be able to catch Great Afrikan Music, Great Afrikan Chat, and Great Afrikan Opportunities, brought to you by Afrika Eye and Ujima!

Ujima 98 features local voices and aims to inform, represent, educate, entertain, and celebrate culture, heritage, and diversity within Bristol. In particular it welcomes contributions from the African and Caribbean communities living in the St Paul’s and Easton areas of Bristol.

Keep posted and listen out for interviews with the Afrika Eye team, some great South African and Congolese music, and clips from the best of our films!

ujimaradio.com/

Follow Afrika Eye on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube!

2010-09-09T02:28:00.000-07:00

For those of you plugged-in to the vast world of social media, you can now follow Afrika Eye 2010 on Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube!

We'll be using Facebook and Twitter to send out bitesize chunks of news from the main Afrika Eye hub, as well as airing the thoughts, feelings, and latest news from the Afrika Eye directors as the weekend of the festival approaches!

You can visit these pages by clicking on the images below:

YouTube is a little more exciting. For now you can watch the trailers of all the films announced so far, but we'll also be posting a whole host of related clips and snippets!

You can visit the Afrika Eye YouTube channel by clicking on the image below:

Programme announcement: film two of reconciliation theme.

2010-09-03T03:26:00.000-07:00

Surfing Soweto

Director: Sara Blecher & Dimakatso Raphoto;
Origin: South Africa, 2010;
Running time: 85 minutes

We are delighted to have confirmed the second film under the theme of reconciliation. A brand new documentary, Surfing Soweto is scary, shocking, and an insightful window into some of South Africa’s post-apartheid lives.

‘Surfing’ on top of speeding trains is the ultimate adrenaline rush for South Africa’s disillusioned youth. Exposing this illegal and dangerous pastime, Surfing Soweto shows the complexity of how structural ‘disadvantage’ in the wake of apartheid impacts on peoples lives. The proposition being that only when this impact is properly understood and acknowledged can meaningful reconciliation can take place.

Most of the surfers come from broken homes. They spend their days drinking, smoking, and teaching each other the latest train surfing techniques. Director Sara Blecher documented the lives of three train surfers: “We have followed Bitch Nigga, Lefa, and Mzembe on to the top of trains hurtling though Soweto. We have watched their lives fall apart. And we have watched them battling to piece them back together again”.

We’re showing a brand new version of the original documentary released in 2007. Watch a clip below and sign up to our mailing list to be in the loop when tickets go on sale!

Opening film announcement!

2010-08-16T19:34:00.000-07:00

Benda Bilili!

Directors: Florent de la Tullaye & Renaud Barret;
Origin: Democratic Republic of Congo/France, 2010;
Running time: 90 minutes

Our opening film isn’t from South Africa, but we’re so excited to have scooped its Bristol premiere that we couldn’t resist including it in the programme!

Benda Bilili! ("looks aren't everything") documents the career of Staff Benda Bilili, a band of seven paraplegic Congolese musicians living in poverty on the streets of Kinshasa. Directors Florent de la Tullaye and Renaud Barret started following the band in 2005 and continued to do so as their global popularity began to grow. After meeting Belgian record producer Vincent Kenis, the band released Très Très Fort on Crammed Discs in 2009 and have been touring a string of European dates since, including both Glastonbury and WOMAD 2010 (to name but a few). The film - about both the lives and music of the band and its members - received a standing ovation at Cannes, where it was chosen as the opening film of the Director's Fortnight. With a soundtrack of the highest calibre, Benda Bilili! will get you dancing in the aisles and in the mood for the Afrika Eye 2010 after party, featuring a local Congolese band to help you let your hair down and move your feet!

Watch the trailer here and check out our YouTube Channel for a clip of Staff Benda Bilili performing live!

This film and the opening night of Afrika Eye 2010 will be hosted
on Friday 29th October at the Watershed cinema, Bristol.

Stay tuned for details of how to book tickets by signing up to our mailing list!

EYEFULL 2010: Call for entries!

2010-08-06T10:39:00.000-07:00

We are pleased to announce the opening of EYEFULL 2010.

EYEFULL gives local and regional filmmakers the opportunity to have their short films - told from an African or Diaspora perspective - screened at the Watershed cinema as part of the Afrika Eye Film Festival.

This year a prize of £250 will be awarded to the best short.
For more information visit the EYEFULL page.

First programme announcement!

2010-07-23T01:40:00.000-07:00

Between Joyce and Remembrance

Director: Mark J. Kaplan; Producer: Grey Matter Media;
Origin: South Africa, 2003; Running time: 68 minutes

An entire day of Afrika Eye 2010 will be dedicated to the topic of reconciliation - strategies to heal old wounds. Three films, carefully selected as real discussion raisers, will be screened and complemented with talks, discussions, and workshops on the same topic. The first of these films is Between Joyce and Remembrance, which tells a personal story that took place as part of the extraordinary, South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). Started in 1995, the TRC offered "free confession" for people who had acted for the apartheid state against its people. There was to be no punishment, and the meetings and relationships that developed in its wake offer an insight into the mechanisms of reconciliation.

22-year-old student leader and activist Siphiwo Mtimkulu was shot and burned in 1982 by Security Police under the former apartheid government. Director Mark J. Kaplan spent years documenting the effects of this murder on Mtimkulu's family and what happened when the murderer says he wants apologise face-to-face. Critical, positive, and sometimes just observational, this film offers a revealing and personal exposition of just one of the many attempts at reconciliation that the TRC allowed in post-apartheid South Africa.

Watch the trailer below and keep an eye on the Programme for the time and date of this showing!

More programme announcements coming soon.
To keep up to date with every development,
sign up to the Afrika Eye mailing list (on your right!)

Afrika Eye 2010 work placements and volunteerships

2010-07-04T13:59:00.000-07:00

We are currently offering a small number of work placements and volunteerships.
For more information, see work with us.