California Newsreel
California Newsreel is the oldest non-profit social issue distribution and production center in the U.S. whose films address issues such as race in America, African American life and history and health inequities. In 1989, it began releasing African cinema, including both narrative and documentary works by the continent’s leading filmmakers.
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Ainsi Meurent Les Anges (And So Angels Die)
Directed by Moussa Sene Absa • Drama • With Ibrahima M'Baye, Thierno Ndiaye Doss • 2001 • 56 minutes
Moussa Sene Absa's latest work pushes the formal boundaries of African cinema to explore the complex interplay of history and psychology in contemporary Africa. Intensely personal and at the same...
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Ezra
Directed by Newton Aduaka • Drama • With Mamoudu Turay Kamara, Mariame N'Diaye, Mamusu Kallon • 2007 • 110 minutes
Ezra stands out among other African films because it is a complex psychological study of a child soldier, not just about the trauma, healing and reintegration into society, but also...
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Karmen Gei
Directed by Joseph Gai Ramaka • Drama • With Djeïnaba Diop Gaï, Magaye Niang, Stephanie Biddle • 2001 • 82 minutes
Director Joseph Gaï Ramaka writes: "Carmen is a myth but what does Carmen represent today? Where do Carmen's love and freedom stand at the onset of the 21st Century? Therein lies my...
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This is Nollywood
Directed by Franco Sacchi • Documentary • 2007 • 56 minutes
First came Hollywood, then Bollywood and now Nollywood, Nigeria’s booming film industry, which released 2000 feature features in 2006 alone. Where else can you shoot a full-length dramatic film for $10,000 in 7 days? Until recently litt...
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Thunderbolt
Directed by Tunde Kelani • Drama • With Uche Ama Abriel, Bukky Ajayi, Larinde Akinleye • 2000 • 110 minutes
Thunderbolt will come as a bolt out of the blue to most Americans, even aficionados of African cinema. It is one of the best examples of the little-known but burgeoning video industry of N...
