Artellewa art space's film programme, Cinema Ellewa, is screening a selection of African films with different themes throughout April.
The protagonists in both of the films chosen are African youth struggling with a tough aspect of life on the continent, from war to poverty to disease, which Artellewa hopes will bring viewers closer to the reality of life in sub-Saharan Africa.
Daratt (Dry Season), by director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, follows Atim, a young boy from Chad whose father was killed during the 40-year civil war and whose grandfather demands he take revenge when the government grants amnesty to the war criminals. Atim tracks down his father's murderer, but things don't go exactly the way he planned.
In South African film Life, Above All (2010), directed by Oliver Schmitz, 12-year-old Chanda struggles with illness and family troubles in a small, quaint town near Johannesburg as the bright future that lay ahead of her is suddenly blown to pieces. The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard selection in the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, and made it to the final 2011 Academy shortlist for Best Foreign Language Film.
Tsotsi (2005), which is also South African and directed by Gavin Hood, won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2006. The story is set in a Johannesburg slum, where a teenage thug called Tsotsi steals a car, and finds a baby in the backseat. The incident starts a whirlwind of events that unfold over six days in the life of the young gangster.
PROGRAMME:
Friday, 11 April at 6pm
Daratt (Dry Season)
Friday, 18 April at 6pm
Life, Above All
Friday, 25 April at 6pm
Tsotsi
Artellewa
19 Mohamed Ali El Seary St., Ard El Lewa, Giza
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