Black Utopia – Afro-Futurism in Film

In its first curated program of 2018 Kinemathek Karlsruhe is focusing on the cinema of Afro-Futurism. From Jan 12 to Feb 10 seven films – most of them never screened in Karlsruhe before – are presented in the program „Black Utopia – Afro-Futurism in film“.

Mark Dery coined the term Afro-Futurism in his essay „Black to the Future“ as a mixture of speculative narration in tradition of science fiction literature, combined with elements of magical realism.

Since the late 1950s artists, musicians, writers and directors took this narrative foundation, included the Futurist ideas of space travel and alien species in their artistic work and added the political thoughts of Pan-Africanism, traditional African myths and stories.

Not only the African continent, also the diaspora communities in the UK and the US were fertile grounds for Afro-Futurist art and 19 Uhrquickly developed an emancipatory power: While African nations gained political independence, Africa was no longer perceived as a pre-modern continent in crisis, but more and more understood as a place for hope and future. Africa was now the “Mothership” for the diaspora communities and the launching pad for an interstellar African future.

“Black Utopia” presents early canonical works as well as contemporary pieces from Cameroon, Kenya, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana and the USA.

Jan 12, 7pm:
Opening Night of “Black Utopia – Afro-Futurismus in film”
{{I:Sun Ra: Space is the Place }}(by John Coney, USA 1974, 81 Min., OmU)
The film screening is accompanied by a talk on afro-futurisic cinema between Alex Moussa Sawadogo (film cuartor, artistic director of Afrikamera film festival Berlin) and Jens Geiger (artistic director Kinemathek Karlsruhe)

Jan 13, 9.15pm:
{{B:Sun Ra: Space is the Place}} (by John Coney, USA 1974, 81 Min., OmU)

Jan 20, 7pm:{{B:Those Who Bleed}} (OT: Les Saignantes, by Jean-Pierre Bekolo, Kamerun 2005, 97 Min., OmeU)

Jan 24, 9.15pm: {{B:Those Who Bleed}} (OT: Les Saignantes, by Jean-Pierre Bekolo, Kamerun 2005, 97 Min., OmeU)

Jan 27, 9.15pm:
{{I:Crumbs}} (by Miguel Llansó, Äthiopien / Spanien / Finnland 2015, 68 Min. OmeU)

Jan 28, 7pm:{{B:Crumbs}} (by Miguel Llansó, Äthiopien / Spanien / Finnland 2015, 68 Min. OmeU)

Feb 2, 21:15 Uhr:{{B:Drexciya}} (by Simon Rittmeier, Burkina Faso / Deutschland 2012, 28 Min. OmU)
{{B:Naked Reality}} (by Jean-Pierre Bekolo, Kamerun 2016, 62 Min., OmeU)

Feb 6, 7pm:{{B:Drexciya}} (by Simon Rittmeier, Burkina Faso / Deutschland 2012, 28 Min. OmU)
{{B:Naked Reality }}(by Jean-Pierre Bekolo, Kamerun 2016, 62 Min., OmeU)

Feb 8, 7pm: {{I:Pumzi (}}by Wanuri Kahiu, Kenia / Südafrika 2009, 21 Min., engl. OV)
{{B:Lettres du Voyant }}(by Louis Henderson, Frankreich / Ghana 2014, 40 Min., engl. OV)

Feb 10, 9.15pm{{B:Pumzi}} (by Wanuri Kahiu, Kenia / Südafrika 2009, 21 Min., engl. OV)
{{B:Lettres du Voyant }}(by Louis Henderson, Frankreich / Ghana 2014, 40 Min., engl. OV)

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http://kinemathek-karlsruhe.de