Africana Film Festival coming to Miami Hamilton

March 26, 2007

The Africana Film Festival is coming to Miami University Hamilton for a day-long event Wednesday, March 28, bringing with it prominent film directors who will talk about Africa’s cinematic relationship with Hollywood. The event is free and open to the public.

Film directors, scholars, critics, faculty and students will converge on Parrish Auditorium for a series of movie screenings and roundtable discussions. The festival kicks off with introductions at 8:45 a.m. and culminates with a public reception from 6-7 p.m. The Hamilton campus is hosting the third day of the four-day film festival which begins and ends on the Oxford campus.

“This is a rare opportunity to learn about contemporary Africa through cinematic representations of the culture. All three directors of the three films to be shown on the Hamilton campus will be here for a Q&A session,” said Dr. John Cinnamon, Miami Hamilton Assistant Professor of Anthropology and Affiliate of Black World Studies. Cinnamon is co-convener of festival events.

“What is their relationship with Hollywood? How are African filmmakers influenced by Hollywood? How are they similar to and different from American filmmakers? Part of the university experience is opening our students to the world and I can’t think of a better event than this,” Cinnamon said.

Enjoy screenings and discussions of Pourquoi (Why) from 11 a.m. to noon; Buud Yam (Lion’s Heart) from 1:30-3:30 p.m., and Le Malentendu Colonial (Colonial Misunderstanding) from 3:45-6 p.m.

Events on the Hamilton campus are sponsored by the offices of the Campus Dean, Student Services, Multicultural Services and the Michael J. Colligan History Project.

The Africana Film Festival is the brainchild of Babacar Camara, professor of French and Black World Studies at Miami Middletown.

For complete details, go to www.units.muohio.edu/africanafilmfestival/.