Reviews and Events

Viva Riva!

Viva Riva! (PAFF 2010)
Narrative/Democratic Republic of the Congo/96min/2010
Director: Djo Tunda Wa Munga

The film follows a fuel smuggler, Riva, after he brings a fuel shipment into Kinshasa. Riva is pursued by an Angolan gangster, Cesar, who wants the fuel. Cesar uses blackmail to gain the help of a local military officer, the Commandant, who then accesses a local informant and church resources to aid Cesar's search. Meanwhile, Riva falls for Nora, the partner of a local gangster, Azor. Riva gains the trust of a local boy and uses his help to find Nora again. The conflicts turn out to be deadly for almost all the main characters. 2011 Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography & Best Production Design AMMA, 2011 MTV Movie Awards for Best African Movie

The Forgotten Kingdom

The Forgotten Kingdom (PAFF 2014)
Narrative Feature/Lesotho/South Africa/98min/2013
Director: Andrew Mudge

Grown accustomed to the hustle and bustle of Johannesburg, a young Johannesburg hustler, Atang, reluctantly embarks on a journey to bury his estranged father. As he travels to his ancestral land in the rural mountain kingdom of Lesotho to fulfill his father’s last wish, he must quickly adjust to the more spiritual rhythms of the Basotho people. What begins as an inconvenience quickly becomes a magical rite of passage charged with humor and self-discovery. Stirred by memories of his youth, Atang’s journey takes an unexpected turn as he falls in love with Dineo, his childhood friend, now a radiant young schoolteacher. Atang asks Dineo’s father for her hand in marriage, but because he is unable to pay the bride price, her father removes Dineo to an even more remote village to keep them separated. Atang pawns his only article of value, the ring he took from his father’s finger, to finance his journey to follow his love. He also befriends a precocious eleven-year-old orphan, who becomes both his companion and spiritual guide of sorts during the arduous journey across the breathtaking mountains of Lesotho. Throughout his journey, Atang begins to encounter villagers who lead him further on this unexpected, often mystical, journey into his past. Beautifully shot, written, and acted, this epic-like film reveals a pilgrimage of hope, family, and maturity as Atang surrenders to the rhythm and traditions of his homeland. In the process, he, along with anyone watching, is transformed by the mystical beauty and hardships of the people and the land he had forgotten. Stars Zenzo Ngqobe, Nozipho Nkelemba, Jerry Mofokeng, Moshoeshoe Chabeli, Lillian Dube, Lobohang Ntsane and Sam Phillips. Best Director-First Feature Narrative, PAFF 2014; Audience Award, Best Narrative Feature, Woodstock Film Festival, 2013; Best Fiction Feature, Golden Punt Audience Award, Cambridge Film Festival 2013

October 1

October 1 (PAFF 2015)
Narrative/Nigeria/143min/2014
Director: Kunle Afolayan

Set in 1960, this psychological thriller details the investigation of police detective Dan Waziri, who is dispatched to a small town in western Nigeria to find the serial killer of young women. Set against the backdrop of the national celebratory mood of the impending Nigerian independence, Waziri is pulled into a game of cat and mouse as he and the killer try to outwit one other. Nominee, Jury Best Narrative Feature, PAFF 2015; Programmers’ Award-Narrative Feature, PAFF 2015

The Case of the Three Sided Dream

The Case of the Three Sided Dream (PAFF 2015)
Documentary/US/87min/2014
Director: Adam Kahan

Rahsaan Roland Kirk was a one-of-a-kind musician, satirist, and windmill-slayer, who despite being blind, becoming paralyzed, and facing America’s racial injustices – did not relent. His life’s work was exploring sound and making music. As an outspoken activist, he started a political movement to get more exposure to Jazz on American television. A generous musical soundtrack, archival footage, and interviews with family, friends, and colleagues create a mesmerizing portrait of this super-human, multi-instrumental musical force who played his music literally until the day he died. Special Jury Recognition-Documentary, PAFF 2015

Rattlesnakes

Rattlesnakes (PAFF 2019)
Narr/UK/US/86min/2019
Director: Julius Amedume

Based on Graham Farrow's acclaimed stage-play RATTLESNAKES, award-winning writer/director Julius Amedume’s Neo-Noir psychological thriller tells the story of Robert McQueen, whose typical day takes a turn for the worse when he’s ambushed by three masked men who accuse him of sleeping with their wives. He pleads his innocence, but what he does reveal will not only change all of their lives forever – but will it be enough to save his? Stars Jimmy Jean-Louis. Audience Award - Narrative Feature, PAFF 2019; Best African Diaspora Director, AMAA 2019; Best Feature Film, Africa International Film Festival, 2019

Caged Birds

Caged Birds (PAFF 2021)
Narrative/US/87min/2021
Director: Fredrick Leach

Jordan Lucas is an affluent, Black high school senior counting down the days until college. He’s constantly bullied and lacks the confidence to stand up for himself. When his prideful cousin, EJ, is humiliated by a white bully, Blake, he recruits Jordan and Kevonte, a bussed-in student from the other side of the tracks, to play a robbery prank on Blake. When the prank goes bad, the three boys struggle to avoid being caught. In the process, they are each forced to confront the personal demons that come with being Black in the suburbs. Best First Feature Director-Narrative, PAFF 2021

Coming From Insanity

Coming From Insanity (PAFF 2020)
Narrative/Nigeria/99min/2019
Director: Akinyemi Sebastian Akinropo

In the mid-nineties, 12-year-old Kossi, with genius-level intelligence, is one of many children trafficked through the Nigerian borders from Togo. He ends up with the Martin Family, an upper-middle-class family of four in Lagos. At their home, he will work overtime for his meals and shelter as a houseboy. Fast forward to the present day, Kossi is still a houseboy with the Martins. He dreams of a better life, but with barely any education, he knows his future is compromised. He relies on his natural abilities and talent to carve out a way for himself, soon discovering the art of counterfeit money printing and floating the most flawless counterfeit dollars in the Eastern Hemisphere. Soon out on his own, he employs the services of a few friends and grows the operation substantially, landing him on the radar of a young determined currency agent who will stop at nothing to bring him to justice. A genuine thriller that will have you on the end of your seat! Nominee, Best International Narrative Feature, American Black Film Festival 2020; Nominee, Best First Feature, PAFF 2020

Of Good Report

Of Good Report (PAFF 2014)
Narrative Feature/South Africa/101min/2013
Director: Jahmil X.T. Qubeka

Parker, a shy and mysterious high school teacher, arrives at his new assignment in a rural school. While he is earnest in his passion for teaching, his extra-curricular attentions are drawn to a gorgeous young girl. When he realizes she is a student at his very school - and forbidden fruit - he grows increasingly obsessed. When the girl goes missing, a female detective comes snooping around, fueling Parker’s unstable, even dangerous, behavior. A modern-day classic film noir that will in time prove to be a milestone in Pan African film. Stars Mothusi Magano, Petronella Tshuma, Thobi Mkhwanazi, Nomhlé Nkyonyeni and Tshamano Sebe. Best Feature Film, Africa International Film Festival (AFRIFF) in Nigeria. Jury Best Narrative Feature, PAFF 2014; PAFF/BAFTA LA Prize, PAFF 2014

Bigman Wahala

Bigman Wahala (PAFF 2020)
Narrative/Ghana/101min/2019
Director: Daniel Adjokatcher

A corrupt government minister tries to escape the military in the aftermath of a coup d’etat. He enlists the help of a poor struggling taxi driver to take him to the border. Their conversations and encounters during their journey reveal much about themselves and the events leading up to that point. A road movie like no other. Stars Oscar Provencal, one of Ghana’s finest actors. Nominee, Best First Feature, PAFF 2020

Back of the Moon

Back of the Moon
Narrative/South Africa/96min/2018
Director: Angus Gibson

The date July 28, 1958. Tomorrow, legions of police will force the residents of Gerty Street, Sophiatown out of their homes and they will be trucked to a desolate township, ten miles outside of Johannesburg. Badman, an intellectual and the leader of the most powerful gang in Sophiatown, lives life on his own terms in this crazy, cosmopolitan, half-demolished ghetto on the edge of Johannesburg. The gorgeous Eve Msomi, a torch-singer on the brink of an international career, is giving her last concert in the local hall before she travels to London. Refusing to face the bleak reality of Black South African life, Badman has decided that when the police come, he will not move and will fight to the death for his home. But fate thrusts Eve, whom he has loved from a distance, into his orbit. A stylishly beautiful film with a great soundtrack that captures the mood, the violence, and yes, the beauty in apartheid South Africa. Best South African Feature Film, Durban International Film Festival 2019; Best International Narrative Feature, Black Film Festival Montreal 2020