In a world that's seemingly becoming more interconnected every day, the chances to see new international cinema are paradoxically shrinking, with independent film distributors shutting down and theaters preferring to show the “safest bets.” Into this void steps the touring program of the annual New York African Film Festival, which presents an opportunity to experience the vibrant voices and visions of recent cinema from across the African continent. Wrestlers in Senegal, avant-garde dancers in Zimbabwe, youth gangs in Nigeria, cine-club owners in Burkina Faso, albinos in Kenya, and even Ghanaians in New York City: this year's selection offers a dizzying spectrum of experiences, tales, and visions. Conversational documentaries mix with a new breed of African narrative cinema, as lively and contemporary as anything Hollywood has to offer.
Some names, like Cameroonian filmmaker (and part-time Berkeley resident) Jean-Marie Téno, may be familiar to regular festivalgoers, but many are emerging and first-time filmmakers whose ideas about cinema, and the world, are just waiting to be discovered. We're pleased to supplement the series with Sean Baker's acclaimed American indie Prince of Broadway, about a young Ghanaian immigrant hustling to survive in Manhattan's hectic Garment District, which has picked up awards at festivals from Los Angeles to Locarno.