African Studies

A new short from acclaimed direcctor Pedro Costa (Horse Money).  Three young sisters are set apart by the eruption of Fogo.

In a remote Haitian village there is a dance with slaves and masters: the whipping zombie ritual. To trance-inducing music played by rara bands, men whip and fight until they die and are reborn in the infinite cycle.

Forcefully removed from their ancestral home by the Ugandan government to protect the endangered gorilla population, the indigenous Batwa people start a music club in hopes to preserve their culture through song and story.

Bashir Ramathan worked as a laborer until losing his sight. Destitute and depressed, boxing saved Bashir, now an advocate for the rights of people living with disabilities around Uganda. This uplifting short documentary will remind audiences that if there’s something you want to achieve in life, nothing should stop you.

A stirring documentary about the very beginning of Rwanda's film industry, Finding Hillywood looks at the people - the filmmakers, festival organizers, and audience - that are part of this blossoming film community and shows how it has become a beacon of hope and healing for a country still grappling with its past.

Like many instances of discrimination faced by people with disabilities around the world, the troubling escalation of violence against people with Albinism in Tanzania has been fueled by societal prejudices, lack of education and deep-rooted superstition. In The Shadow of the Sun follows the efforts of two individuals who are risking their lives to combat this virulent prejudice.

A gorgeously filmed ethnographic portrait of an elderly Kenyan shark fisherman who has a primeval bond with the ocean and its creatures, Wavumba: They Who Smell of Fish delivers an enchanting depiction of Africa's storytelling tradition, where fantasy, dreams, belief and reality blend.

On December 17, 2010, 26-year-old Mohamed Bouazizi set fire to himself on the streets of Tunis sparking a popular uprising that toppled a dictator and developed into the Arab Spring. With remarkable never-before-seen footage of the demonstrations and celebrations, Rouge Parole chronicles the revolution in Tunisia and its immediate aftermath.

In 1983, Time magazine bestowed its coveted person-of-the-year award to the computer. Since then, technology has advanced at an amazing speed, and people have been replacing their old machines at the same rate, creating a cyclical stream of hazardous e-waste. Terra Blight is an eye-opening documentary that examines the environmental implications of this global problem.

Once hailed as a national hero, Robert Mugabe - Zimbabwe's first and only elected political leader - is today widely considered one of Africa's most brutal dictators. What happened? This illuminating documentary offers an in-depth examination of Mugabe's life, policies and staggering transformation.