IN CINEMA
31st New York African Film Festival: Convergence Of Time
SHORTS PROGRAM: BEYOND SPACE, BEYOND TIME
Tickets: $15 General Admission / $7 Reduced Price
Sunday, May 19 at 3:30PM
Witness love, redemption, triumph, rebellion, defy the constraints of our modern day world.
MELANIE & KYLE
Tiara West, 2023, U.S., 7 min.
US Premiere
Amidst the captivating world of poetry, Melanie and Kyle's love flourishes. They explore the depth of their emotions through verses that intertwine their souls, revealing a timeless bond of passion, trust, and poetic beauty that transcends their mortal existence.
why some people be mad at me sometimes
Mahlet Cuff, 2024, Canada, 3 min.
World Premiere
A meditation on the misappropriation of Dancehall music while using Black Feminist Citational praxis.
IVORY COAST INITIATIVE
Chiquita Lockley, 2023, U.S./ Ivory Coast, 20 min.
New York Premiere
Follows a cocoa farming family in a remote Ivorian village striving for education amid challenges. With support from US entrepreneur Tanya James and an Ivorian-American businessman, they pursue innovative educational access beyond conventional schools.
THE FLY COLLECTORS
Jeff Arak, 2023, Senegal, 25 min.
English, French and Wolof with English subtitles
North American Premiere
A group of men in Senegal volunteer as human bait to catch flies carrying a parasite that once blinded hundreds of thousands of people throughout Africa. Following the lead of Africa's leading medical entomologist, Daniel Boakye, the group of men work towards freeing the Gambia River from the vicious disease.
BITE OF BÉNIN
Brad Herring, Adé Carrena, 2023, Bénin/U.S., 36 min.
English and French with English subtitles
New York Premiere
Chef Adé embarks on a poignant journey to her homeland of Bénin, seeking to reconnect with her African roots through food and the women who shaped her. In this touching tale, she discovers that food isn't just sustenance—it's a vessel for culture, history, and healing generational wounds.
SOMEWHERE EVERYWHERE IN THE MOTHERLAND
Boluwatife Adeniran, 2023, U.S., 6 min.
New York Premiere
A young, pregnant and overworked woman gets a few things off her chest as she prepares to give birth in an undisclosed postcolonial Pan-African country.
WHAT EXISTS
Alberta Kallon, 2023, U.S., 16 min.
World Premiere
When a brainy bride-to-be stalls her wedding ceremony, her loyal groom struggles to regain her love through a game of 20 questions.
Post-screening discussion TBA!
African Film Festival, Inc. (AFF) celebrates the 31st edition of the New York African Film Festival (NYAFF) from May 8 to May 30, 2024. Since its inception in 1993, the festival has been at the forefront of showcasing African and diaspora filmmakers’ unique storytelling through the moving image. This year’s theme, Convergence of Time, explores the intersection of historical and contemporary roles played by individuals representing Africa and its diaspora in art. With over 50 films from more than 25 countries, the festival invites audiences to delve into the convergence of archival and modern experimentalism, transcending both space and time.
