2024 | São Paulo
September, 11th-18th
Cinesesc and Centro de Pesquisa e Formação
The Mostra de Cinemas Africanos enters its 7th year with a programme in São Paulo (SP). In this edition, the festival takes place from September 11 to 18 at Cinesesc, and presents 16 feature films and 4 short films from 14 African countries, with several titles premiering in Brazil and a special programme focusing on colonial exploitation, violence, and epistemicide that have marked the history of countries on the continent. The presence of African guests is guaranteed in the programme with post-screening debates. Tickets to watch the films cost R$ 24.00 (full price), R$ 12.00 (half price), or R$ 8.00 (full credentials), while parallel activities are free of charge. Information on the website: www.mostradecinemasafricanos.com/en
The festival opens with the Brazilian premiere of the feature Black Tea (2024) by Abderrahmane Sissako, one of the most renowned filmmakers on the African continent. The film tells the story of a young woman from the Ivory Coast who falls in love with an older Chinese man after immigrating to Asia. Born in Mauritania, Sissako is known for films that explore globalization and displacement, with several awards at international festivals. With the support of the French Embassy in Brazil and Senegal, the filmmaker will attend the festival and will participate in a masterclass at the Sesc’s Centro de Pesquisa e Formação.
Another highlight this year is the Senegalese tale Banel & Adama (2023) by the Franco-Senegalese director Ramata-Toulaye Sy, which follows a young couple from a small village confronted by the conventions of their community. The film, which already caught everyone’s attention by competing for the 2023 Cannes Palme d’Or, was screened at the Rio Film Festival last year and has its commercial pre-premiere in Brazil at the Mostra de Cinemas Africanos. The director will also come to São Paulo to attend the festival. Black Tea , and Banel & Adama tem distribuição garantida no Brasil pela Imovision.
Among the films premiering in Brazil that will also feature the presence of their directors are the docufiction Pirinha (2024), by Cape Verdean Natasha Craveiro, which presents the journey of a young woman struggling to free herself from the dungeons of her subconscious and childhood traumas. From South Africa, the documentary Banned (2024) by Naledi Bogacwi, recounts the events surrounding the film Joe Bullet (1973), composed of an all-African cast and banned by the apartheid government. Meanwhile, Nigerian Dika Ofoma explores the complexities of community and family relationships in a context of political tension in the short A Quiet Monday (2023).
All films are rated PG-14 unless otherwise stated.
Films this year
Curated by Ana Camila Esteves (Brazil) e Ibee Ndaw (Senegal).
Premieres attended by the filmmakers
GUEST FILMMAKERS
Ramata-Toulaye Sy
France/Senegal
Director of Banel & Adama
Abderrahmane Sissako
Mauritania
Director of Black Tea
Naledi Bogacwi
South Africa
Director of Banned
Dika Ofoma
Nigeria
Director of A Quiet Monday
Natasha Craveiro
Cape Verde
Director of Pirinha
SPECIAL PROGRAMME
The right to art, land, and mourning
Curated by Ana Camila Esteves, Gabriela Almeida e Emi Koide.
A selection of films addressing colonial exploitation, racism, and epistemicide is part of a special programme at the Mostra de Cinemas Africanos 2024. Curated by Ana Camila Esteves, Gabriela Almeida, and Emi Koide, this session features short and feature-length documentaries that address, in different ways, the trauma and mourning of colonial violence and the right to the restitution of objects, artworks, and remains.
The Empty Grave (2024), from Agnes Lisa Wegner , and Cece Mlay, shows the traumas of colonialism and the struggle of families to repatriate the remains of their relatives. In Our Land, Our Freedom (2023) by Meena Nanji and Zippy Kimundu, a Kenyan mother and daughter investigate the atrocities committed by the British colonial government against Kenya and its people. The Story of Ne Kuko (2023)by Festus Toll follows activist Mwazulu Diyabanza in the fight for the return of African objects held in European museums. Two classic films that also address the looting and colonial oppression of African artworks close the programme: Statues Also Die (1953) by Alain Resnais and Chris Marker, and You Hide Me – The Colonization of African Art in the British Museum (1970) by Nii Kwate Owoo.
Training activity in partnership with Sesc
Abderrahmane Sissako Masterclass
The Mostra de Cinemas Africanos also has the mission to disseminate knowledge, produce content, and promote dialogue between African and Brazilian audiovisual production. In this São Paulo edition, the festival will hold a Masterclass with Mauritanian filmmaker Abderrahmane Sissako, one of the greatest names in contemporary African cinema, a winner of the César Awards for Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Film, with Timbuktu (2015), as well as the Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, among several other international festivals. The event is free of charge and takes place on September 12 (Thursday), from 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., at the Sesc’s Centro de Pesquisa e Formação , moderated by Brazilian researcher Hannah Serrat, a specialist in the filmmaker's work.
The discussion will address how Sissako portrays migratory and diasporic experiences in his films, creating new forms of collective identity. The discussion will also explore how these themes are aesthetically constructed in framing, mise-en-scène, and editing. Based on Hannah's research on Sissako's filmography, this encounter between the researcher and the filmmaker offers an in-depth analysis of a body of work that explores essential issues for the African continent, such as the complexities surrounding the processes of movements of African people worldwide.
Training activity in partnership with Spcine
PANEL: Creative Strategies for Independent Film Production
LECTURE: Overview of Training Programs on the African Continent
Speakers: Naledi Bogacwi (Trial by Media, South Africa), Fibby Kioria (Mucii Pictures, Kenya), Mohamed Saïd Ouma (Documentary Africa, Kenya)
Convidados: Samuel Tebandeke (Great Lakes Creative Producers Lab, Uganda), Romeo Umulisa (Creative Africa Lab, Ruanda), Katya Aragão (São Tomé Film Lab, São Tomé e Príncipe) e Ibee Ndaw (Centre Yennenga, Senegal)
Thursday, 09/12, 10 AM - 12 PM Centro Cultural São Paulo (CCSP) Sala Lima Barreto
This conversation aims to explore the idea of decentralized structures in film production, as well as various forms of independent filmmaking. The focus will be on investigating structuring alternatives and strategies that film producers can adopt to make independent, authentic, and auteur-driven projects viable, bypassing the challenges and limitations that arise when attempting to produce quality works without necessarily depending on the mainstream industry.
Friday, 09/13, 10 AM - 12 PM Centro Cultural São Paulo (CCSP) Sala Lima Barreto
In this activity, professionals from the Brazilian audiovisual sector will have the opportunity to explore various training programs operating in different regions of the African continent, with the goal of qualifying and professionalizing agents in the film industry. The purpose is to promote a dialogue between these initiatives and their counterparts in Brazil, fostering strategic partnerships that can expand the reach and effectiveness of professional training between Africa and Brazil. The panel brings together representatives from organizations in Uganda, São Tomé and Príncipe, Rwanda, and Senegal, each with a specific focus on different stages of cinema training: creative production, script and project development, directing, and post-production.
PANEL: Collaboration Between Brazil and Portuguese-Speaking African Countries (PALOP): Cape Verde and São Tomé and Príncipe
Workshop: Still Photography for Cinema
Speakers: Natasha Craveiro (Cape Verde) and Katya Aragão (São Tomé and Príncipe)
Led by Mamadou Diop (Senegal)
Tuesday, 09/17, 10 AM - 12 PM Centro Cultural São Paulo (CCSP) Sala Lima Barreto
The main objective of this panel is to strengthen cinematic partnerships, aiming to promote and intensify relations between Brazilian filmmakers, producers, and creatives and their counterparts in Cape Verde and São Tomé and Príncipe. The guest speakers will discuss new opportunities and strategies to further strengthen relations between these countries and Brazil, facilitated by the Portuguese language. We will discuss new forms of financing, the development of training and exchange programs, and the creation of platforms that facilitate the co-production and distribution of films between these territories. The vision is to create a sustainable ecosystem where the film industries of these countries can flourish together, taking advantage of cultural and creative synergies. Looking toward the future, the expectation is that these collaborations will result in a diverse and enriching cinematic production that reflects the multiple experiences and perspectives of the countries involved and is committed to the South-South collaborations.
Tuesday, 09/17, 2 PM - 6 PM Centro Cultural São Paulo (CCSP) Sala Lima Barreto
Still photography for cinema involves capturing photographs during a film's production. These photos are usually taken on set and document scenes, behind-the-scenes moments, cast, and crew. The still photographer works in collaboration with the director of photography and the production team to ensure that the images capture the essence of the film and assist in promoting and marketing the project.
Still photographs are used for various purposes, including promotional materials like posters, brochures, and websites, as well as preserving the visual memory of the production process. They can be used to promote the film before its release, generate public interest, and create a cohesive visual identity for the project.
This workshop aims to equip photographers with solid technical skills in photography, including composition, lighting, and image editing, as well as an understanding of the filmmaking process to effectively perform still photography. The goal is to capture significant moments and convey the atmosphere and style of the film through their photographs.
Credits
SESC – SERVIÇO SOCIAL DO COMÉRCIO
Administração Regional no Estado de São Paulo
PRESIDENTE DO CONSELHO REGIONAL
Abram Szajman
DIRETOR DO DEPARTAMENTO REGIONAL
Luiz Deoclécio Massaro Galina
SUPERINTENDENTES
Técnico-Social
Rosana Paulo da Cunha
Comunicação Social
Ricardo Gentil de Oliveira
Administração
Jackson Andrade de Matos
Assessoria Técnica e de Planejamento
Marta Raquel Colabone
Assessoria Jurídica
Carla Bertucci Barbieri
GERENTES
Ação Cultural Érika Mourão Trindade Dutra Artes Gráficas Rogério Ianelli Assessoria de Relações Internacionais Heloisa Pisani Centro de Produção Audiovisual Wagner Palazzi Perez Difusão e Promoção Lígia Morelli Estudos e Desenvolvimento João Paulo Leite Guadanucci CineSesc Simone Yunes Centro de Pesquisa e Formação Andréa de Araújo Nogueira
EQUIPE SESC
Adriana Moniz Pimenta, Aline Ribenboim, André Coelho Mendes Queiroz, Beatriz Falasco, Cecília de Nichile, Danilo Cava, Danilo Cymrot, Desiane Pereira da Silva, Graziela Marcheti, Humberto Mota, Jefferson De Almeida Santanielo, João Cotrim, Jose Goncalves da Silva Junior, Karina Camargo Leal, Kelly Cecilia Teixeira Ferrari, Lívia Lima, Marina Reis, Maurício Trindade, Moara Zahra Iak, Priscila Machado Nunes, Rodrigo Gerace, Sabrina Carla Tenguan, Silvia Hirao, Silvio Basilio, Solange dos Santos Alves Nascimento.