St. Petersburg Seasons Festival of Culture Hosts Russia-Africa Summit
- Details
- Category: Russia A&E, Lifestyle, Culture
- Published on Wednesday, 19 July 2023 20:26
- Written by Euro Contributing Editor
On July 25, the festival opens with the Russian premiere of the 2023 Cannes Film Festival winner film The Omen, the Night of the Kings screening, and the opening of the African Dream exhibition, and music.
The African Dream group photo exhibition brings together photographers of different generations and genres. For just a few days, the pavilion, where films are usually filmed, will turn into an exhibition-journey through space and time. Viewers will be able to see the work of famous photographers who unexpectedly and in a new way represent the diversity of the culture of the African continent.
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The exhibition presents a series of photographs by Sergey Gorshkov, Andrey Belkov, Dmitry Kokh, Anna Daftari, Kristina Makeeva and Arseniy Nishikhomov. The works of Sergei Gorshkov and Dmitry Koch capture footage of the wild nature of Africa. Andrey Belkov will present his abstract series "Nocturne II". Anna Daftary shows a series of captivating documentary portraits.
The photographs of Christina Makeeva reflect the bright fashion of modern Africa. Arseniy Niskhomov uses a series of self-portraits to understand the culture of the African continent. On the opening day, all guests will have the opportunity to walk around the exhibition with curator Anastasia Loktaeva. "African Dream", organized by the gallery M2 (Moscow), will extend its work until July 28.
On July 26, a poetry evening of African poetry will be held. Honored Artist of Russia, theater actor. Evgenia Vakhtangov Sergei Pinegin will introduce the audience to the unique poetry of freedom and love of the African continent and, in the rhythm of tom-toms, will lift the veil into the world of the mysterious continent. Also, within the framework of the festival, there will be creative meetings with the historian Viktor Kulikov and the grandson of the last king of Egypt, Mikhail Orlov, as well as a public talk "Art and Fashion. Africa and Russia. Crossing paths" in collaboration with Umagazine magazine.
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The main block of the festival will be the film program, which will show daring and innovative films from different countries of the continent: from the hits of the Cannes Film Festival to cult action films from independent studios with a budget of $200, from bright docks about the local film industry to Soviet newsreels. Viewers will be able to take part in a Q&A with the directors after the screenings.
The festival will be opened by the Russian premiere of the film "Omen" by the Belgian rapper Baloji, born in the Congo. Baloji created a subtle and magnetic portrait of the continent, in which the Christian faith and pagan cults, urban legends and black magic merge. The Omen won the New Voice Award at the Un Certain Regard of the 2023 Cannes Film Festival. Also on July 25, Philippe Lacote's film "Night of the Kings" will be screened, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival. This film seems to balance between a fairy tale and a musical, ritual dance, theater and even Afro-fantasy.
Two paintings from the program come from Nigeria. Abba Makam's documentary film "Nollywood: Something from Nothing" is dedicated to the Nigerian film industry, which is the second in the world (after Bollywood and before Hollywood!) in terms of the number of films produced per year. Juju Stories is a film by the Surreal16 collective, which includes Abba Makama. The films of the Surreal16 team have been enthusiastically received at the world's leading film festivals for several years now. The team creates auteur films that are not like the streaming production of Nollywood. The film tells three tales of Zhu Zhu magic based on Nigerian folklore and urban legends.
The other part of the program is devoted to Wakalivudu - the cinema of Uganda. For the first time in Russia, the cult kung fu action movie Who Killed Captain Alex? will be shown on the big screen. . Over the course of mercilessly exciting 70 minutes, a flurry of explosions, shots and flying heads will fall upon the viewer. "Once Upon a Time in Uganda" is a story about director Ai. Gee. Ji Nabwanga, who, despite the lack of a budget, professional education and decent equipment, managed to establish the Wakaliwood studio in the slums of Uganda, which releases low-budget action films inspired by Rambo and Chuck Norris, but with African actors in the lead roles, using only enthusiasm and a sense of humor.
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As part of the festival, the debut film of the Senegalese-born Frenchwoman Mati Diop , Atlantica , which won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019, will be presented. The picture is considered one of the most important in the history of Senegalese cinema, and Mati Diop became the first black woman to claim the highest award at the Cannes Film Festival and receive the Grand Prix of the world's main film review.
"Suad" is another picture with a very bright festival destiny. The Tribeca-winning and Egyptian Academy Award-nominated film tells the story of 19-year-old Souad and her younger sister, who seem to be stuck between two worlds: the world of social media, in which women are free and emancipated, and the real world, in which a woman is commanded to serve a man.
This is not a funeral, this is a resurrection was the first film nominated for an Oscar by the Kingdom of Lesotho. This slow-paced film or video art is filled with mystical realism. Cultural customs and ceremonies are alive here, they are woven into the vibrant tapestry of the surrounding world.
Documentary films will also be presented in the film program of the Days of African Culture and Cinema. "Rhythms of Africa" in 1966 is dedicated to the first World Festival of African Art in Dakar. Alexander Markov's bold film Krasnaya Afrika is a chronicle of the Soviet Union's strange friendship with the "black" continent, which Soviet cameramen have recorded for over 30 years. The film "Taxi, Cinema and Me" , which premiered at the Rotterdam Festival this year, will tell about the fate of a talented director who became a courier.
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The film "We, the students!" takes us to the University of Baga, the capital of the Central African Republic. The director shows the daily life of his friends, allowing us to see the real life of millennials in Bangui. This is an environment of young people who strive to change the country, but do not know how.
For the little ones, together with the Soyuzmultfilm film studio, favorite cartoons about Africa will also be shown, including "Katerok", "Kitten from Lizyukov Street", "Like a lion and a turtle sang a song" and others.
Film screenings organized by ROSKINO with the support of the Russian Ministry of Culture will be held at the Avrora cinema from 28 to 30 July. The screening program will include some of the best films of recent years, which have been presented at many international film festivals and have received a number of awards.
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Among them is South Africa's 1960 , which won Best South African Feature Film at the 43rd Durban International Film Festival, Africa's oldest and largest film festival. Kenya will be represented by the drama "Bangarang" directed by Robin Odongo. Also in the program of film screenings at Aurora is the 2020 action drama The Air Conditioner by Angolan director Mario Bastas and two films from Tanzania: the dramas My Village and Mviga, directed by Steven Lino.
Entrance to all events of the festival "Africa. Together into the Future" is free.
Cultural and educational festival "Africa. Together into the Future" will be held with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Culture of Senegal, the Embassy of Senegal in the Russian Federation, and the Roscongress Foundation.
Festival partners: Lenfilm film studio, ROSKINO, ROSCONCERT, Gosfilmofond, United Metallurgical Company.
