There are few cinematographic cultural references that reach us from what has come to be known as 'Sub-Saharan Africa'. Unfortunately, the news we in this part of the world receive from this region, which is configured as a uniform whole in our collective imagination, is different.
The reality, fortunately, is quite different, and its diversity is enriched by the contact between different elements, typical of the multiple African cultures (bambara, wolof, hausa, yoruba...) of a region that has been a node of both commercial and cultural exchange, linking the Arab-Muslim north with the rest of the continent for centuries.
Despite this, this reality has only been highlighted by a few filmmakers who have managed to make part of these cultures and this legacy known. We are talking about directors who can be considered an exception in their field, because the working conditions they have faced - problems of infrastructure, production and distribution, and the ever-present censorship - make their works all the more meritorious.
Abderrahmane Sissako (Mauritania, 1961) and Souleymane Cissé (Mali, 1940) are two of the few internationally renowned African filmmakers. In addition to the context in which they have developed their work, they share the fact that they were both trained as filmmakers in the Soviet Union.
The work of Abderrahmane Sissako (of whom we will be screening the award-winning Bamako and two medium-length films) has exile and displacement as its main theme, reflecting Africa with autobiographical touches.
Souleymane Cissé's filmography has the ability to emphasise what Africa does not want to see of itself, by way of social criticism. Yeelen y Baara are our choice for this cycle. The proven quality of their films makes them magnificent ambassadors of African cinema in this approach that we aim to bring together in our programme of Tuesday films at the Fundación Tres Culturas.
Programming
2 September
Bamako
Abderrahmane Sissako (Mali, 2006, 118 min.)
9 September
October (October)
Abderrahmane Sissako (Mali/Mauritania, 1992, 37 min.)
La vie sur terre (Life on Earth)
Abderrahmane Sissako (France/Mauritania, 1998, 61 min.)
16 September
Yeelen (Light)
Souleymane Cissé (Mali, 1987, 105 min.)
Film programmed in collaboration with the Institut Français de Sevilla.
Tuesday 23 September
Baara (The work)
Souleymane Cissé (Mali, 1978, 93 min.)
Film programmed in collaboration with the Institut Français de Sevilla.
Portuguese