Welcome to the 13th Cambridge African Film Festival
We are delighted to celebrate the 13th edition of the Cambridge African Film Festival (CAFF). True to its original goals, CAFF 2014, to be held from 1 to 9 November 2014 at the Cambridge Arts Picturehouse and Trinity College, aims to show the best of contemporary African films, increase understanding and awareness of African and black culture in the UK, and build a UK audience in the beautiful city of Cambridge for African filmmakers, while offering an important counterbalance to the Western media’s stereotyping of Africa.
We are proud to be the longest running African film festival in the UK, thanks to the strong support of prestigious institutions, such as our two main sponsors, Trinity College and the Centre of African Studies, University of Cambridge, and major supporters, the Cambridge Film Trust and the Cambridge Arts Picturehouse. This year we are showcasing more than 10 films from a variety of countries, including South Africa, Mali, Senegal, Tunisia, Cameroon and Nigeria, opening with Timbuktu, by one of the leading lights of African cinema, Abderrahmane Sissako, which impressed the audiences at Cannes 2014.
CAFF 2014 has joined forces with other UK African film festivals to put together, for the first time ever, a touring season called ‘South Africa at 20: The Freedom Tour’ marking the 20th anniversary of democracy in the country. Thanks to its participation in this exciting tour, which is a partnership between the South African Department of Arts and Culture and the British Council, with the support of the BFI Programming Development Fund, awarding funds from the National Lottery, CAFF is screening a rich selection of South African titles, from 1994: The Bloody Miracle, a compelling documentary, presented by director Meg Rickards, that immerses us in the context of the first democratic elections in South Africa; to the fresh and first ever South African street dance film, Hear Me Move, a vibrant portrayal of contemporary youth that closes the festival and is followed by a live performance by South African singer Joyce Moholoagae.
CAFF 2014 seeks to counterbalance the mainstream misrepresentation of Africa by focusing on major contemporary political issues, such as screenings and Q&As on the topic of migration on Friday 7 November with Tunisian film Die Welt, and the world premiere of Cameroonian-French documentary Le voyage d’une vie, which involved several students from the University of Cambridge working behind the scenes. Oppression/occupation, gangsterism and mining are also explored in the festival lineup.
Equally keen to highlight the diverse aesthetic and artistic dimensions of African visual culture, CAFF is screening films such as Senegalese-Spanish documentary Princesa de África, as well as hosting the photo exhibition ‘Más Morena’ on female beauty at the Arts Picturehouse and an African photo seminar run by Spanish artist Javier Hirschfeld at the Fitzwilliam Museum.
Since its earliest days, CAFF has sought to highlight the work and talent of African women directors. In 2014, CAFF features British-Nigerian comedy Gone Too Far, followed by a Q&A with its first-time director, Destiny Ekaragha. This year’s programme also draws attention to young Africans through a panel and series of screenings hosted by The Humanitarian Centre, bringing together numerous collaborative projects in which filmmakers from Europe have trained young Africans to use filmmaking equipment to tell stories from their own perspectives. Finally, CAFF 2014 presents a special tribute to the young Malian filmmaker Bakary Diallo, who recently passed away in the tragic crash of Air Algérie Flight 5017 from Burkina Faso to Algeria. His beautiful, meditative short film Dankumba is being shown throughout the festival.
We are grateful to all organisations, institutions and individuals in Cambridge who have supported this festival: Trinity College, the Centre of African Studies at the University of Cambridge, the Cambridge Arts Picturehouse and the Cambridge Film Trust, the French Society at Trinity College, Cambridge-Africa Programme, the Centre of African Studies at the University of London, The Fitzwilliam Museum, Key Travel, The Humanitarian Centre, Menelik Education and the African Society of Cambridge University.
Welcome to the 13th Cambridge African Film Festival and thank you for joining us in celebrating our love of African film!
The programme is now available online and very soon in print.
Download CAFF 2014 Calendar and CAFF 2014 Poster
Tickets are on sale in the Arts Picturehouse Website & Eventbrite Links.
We are looking forward to seeing you at CAFF 2014!
