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AFRICA IN MOTION Annual fi lm festival celebrates 20 years of freedom in South Africa
‘I ’d like audiences to come away from the festival inspired by the beauty, spirit and innovation of the continent,’ says Natalia Palombo, one of the managers of Scotland’s Africa in Motion film festival, now in its ninth year. Started in 2006 by Dr Lizelle Bisschoff as an extension of her PhD studies into African cinema, AiM has now become one of the largest African film festivals in Europe, this year showing 50 films alongside a range of non-film events.
‘By showcasing African stories told by African people, we aim to show a different perspective of the continent,’ says Palombo, ‘one that counters the Western clichés and instead reveals diverse stories from across the continent.’ There will be retrospective screenings of iconic African cinema like 1988 South African classic Mapantsula (‘one of the most important anti-apartheid films, infamously banned by the Publications Control Board,’ says Palombo), while there will also be a strand focusing on African
science fiction, including two short films by Black British filmmaker Kibwe Tavares. 15 special guests from across Africa will include Rwandan film pioneer Eric Kabera, who talks about his film Keepers of Memory (pictured) at the Filmhouse in Edinburgh, and Ian Gabriel, director of South Africa’s 2013 coming-of-age drama Four Corners at Glasgow Film Theatre.
Edinburgh’s Summerhall and Glasgow’s CCA will also act as ‘festival hubs’, presenting music performances from artists like kora player Sura Suso, a Kwaito-inspired dance class by Glasgow Open Dance School, capoeira workshops with Mao na Chao, an African acoustic open mic led by Moroccan musician Omar Afif and Seeds of Thoughts’ Tawona Sithole, and a graphic design exhibition by South African artist Modise BlackDice. (David Pollock)
Various venues, Edinburgh and Glasgow, Fri 24 Oct–Sun 9 Nov.
HITLIST THE BEST FILM RELEASES & EVENTS
✽ Sci-Fi: Days of Fear and Wonder This autumn’s BFI screenings celebrate
sci-fi on screen all over the UK, with its Scottish programme including classics like Alien and The Thing. Scotland-wide, until Sun 14 Dec.
✽ Fury Brad Pitt shines in this stunning World
War II drama from David Ayers. See review, page 66. General release from Wed 22 Oct.
✽ Glasgay! film screenings From upcoming film Love is Strange (see page
70) to John Waters’ 1990 classic Cry Baby, Scotland’s yearly celebration of LGBT culture has plenty to keep film-lovers entertained. Glasgow Film Theatre, Thu 23 Oct–Fri 14 Nov.
✽ Africa in Motion Film Festival See preview, left. Various venues, Edinburgh &
Glasgow, Fri 24 Oct–Sun 9 Nov.
✽ Ghostbusters 30th Anniversary Yep, that Paul Feig and Katie Dippold all- female Ghostbusters 3 might be hogging the headlines. But it’s the original’s 30th birthday this month – so sit back and remember just what made it so special. Selected release on Tue 28 Oct, see film.list.co.uk for screenings.
✽ NTLive: Frankenstein Three years after its London run, National Theatre Live’s encore performances of Danny Boyle’s Frankenstein are still going strong. Twin Sherlocks Benedict Cumberbatch and Johnny Lee Miller take turns playing the doctor and his legendary creature. Selected release from Thu 30 Oct, see film.list.co.uk for screenings.
✽ Mr Turner The highlight of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Mike Leigh’s biopic of celebrated English painter JMW Turner (played by Timothy Spall) is a thing of beauty indeed. See five-star review, page 64. General release from Fri 31 Oct.
16 Oct–13 Nov 2014 THE LIST 63