FREE | As part of the Downtown Dinner & A Movie series, Cinema Connex is proud to welcome the NY African Film Festival to Staten Island. The African Film Festival advances an understanding of African culture through the moving image and increases recognition for African media artists by presenting films to a broad range of audiences in the United States, bypassing economic, class and racial barriers.
We are excited to share some of their films with you! Doors open an hour before the screenings. A Q&A with the filmmakers will be led by AFF Founder and Executive Director Mahen Bonetti after each screening.
If dinner and a movie are in your weekend plans, head downtown! From January through June, enjoy a Cinema Connex screening at Search Party Studio on the North Shore, and before or after, grab a hearty dinner on Bay Street and drinks or coffee at a bustling downtown spot. Enjoy 20% off your bill during the screening days at our Bay Street Corridor Restaurant Partners: Chang Noi Thai, Craft House, Errigos Restaurant, Everything Goes Book Cafe, Bay House Bistro, and Lakruwana.
SHORT FILM PROGRAM
“Mr. Gele: The Man. The Story. The Craft” (Gladys Edeh, USA, 2016) “Mr. Gele,” the docu-film, focuses on the man, the story and the craft of the celebrated Houston-based Nigerian Gele (headwear) artist Mr. Hakeem Oluwasegun Olaleye, popularly known as Mr. Segun Gele. Segun Gele is a self-taught creative who has been able to use his skills as a Gele designer and makeup artist to exalt the beauty of women around the world.
“Cuentos” (Djali Brown-Cepeda, USA, 2017) Cities across the United States are rapidly being gentrified. A manifestation of neocolonialism, rising rent prices are forcing existing disenfranchised communities out of their neighborhoods. These are the stories of affected.
“Still Water Runs Deep” (Abbesi Akhamie, Nigeria/USA, 2017) Within his family, a Nigerian father is the patriarch and protector of his flock. Still Water Runs Deep follows a man who leads his household with a stern hand and assertiveness; but when his estranged son goes missing, his reluctant search turns into an emotional journey to find him, shaking the core of his steely resolve and revealing his most intimate being.
“Sega” (Idil Ibrahim, Senegal/USA, 2018) When his efforts to reach Europe prove unsuccessful, Sega is thrust back to Dakar where he must now confront his family and friends and navigate his disappointment as well.
“Ṣoju” (Oluwaseun Babalola – United States/Botswana/Nigeria/Sierra Leone, 2016) A documentaryIn English Surfers, metal heads, and guerilla filmmakers explore their identity and culture in Sierra Leone, Botswana, and Nigeria.
About African Film Festival, Inc. For 28 years, African Film Festival, Inc. (AFF) has bridged the divide between post-colonial Africa and the American public through the medium of film. AFF’s unique place in the international arts community is distinguished not only by leadership in festival management but by a comprehensive approach to the advocacy of African film and culture. AFF established the New York African Film Festival (NYAFF) in 1993 with Film Society of Lincoln Center. The New York African Film Festival is presented annually by African Film Festival, Inc. and Film Society of Lincoln Center, in association with Brooklyn Academy of Music. AFF also produces a series of local, national, and international programs throughout the year. https://www.africanfilmny.org/
