The 16th annual African Film Festival returns to Washington University in St. Louis on March 25-27. This year’s showcase features three award winners: “Min Alesh,” the inspirational tale of an Ethiopian woman who strives to improve life for her family through running (7 p.m. March 25); “Lingui, The Sacred Bonds,” a drama about a Chadian mother who defies the mores of her nation and her religion to help her pregnant daughter obtain an abortion (7 p.m. March 26); and “Un Fils,” a Tunisian drama about a couple who must reckon with a long-buried family secret when their son needs a liver transplant (7 p.m. March 27).
African Film Festival
When: March 25-27
Where: Brown Hall, Room 100
How much: Free
The youth matinee will showcase Nigeria’s first 3D animation, “Lady Buckit and the Motley Mopsters” (3 p.m. March 26).
In addition, David Heredia, the acclaimed animator, author and founder of Heroes of Color, will lead a virtual interactive workshop about the animation process.
“Diversity is the cornerstone of this year’s festival, with films from Nigeria, Ethiopia, Tunisia, Sudan, Chad, Senegal, Ghana and South Africa,“ said festival founder Wilmetta Toliver-Diallo, assistant dean in Arts & Sciences. “We are excited to welcome audiences back to campus where they can experience these visually arresting films the way they were meant to be seen — on the big screen.”
The festival is sponsored by the Department of African and African American Studies and the Film and Media Studies program in Arts & Sciences, along with the African Students Association, with funding from the Washington University Women’s Society and the Missouri Arts Council. Saturday’s films are co-presented with the Saint Louis Metropolitan Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.
For a complete schedule and to register for the screenings, visit africanfilm.wustl.edu.
