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31st New York African Film Festival: Convergence Of Time – KUMVA – WHICH COMES FROM SILENCE + SOMETIMES IT WAS BEAUTIFUL

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IN CINEMA 

31st New York African Film Festival: Convergence Of Time
KUMVA – WHICH COMES FROM SILENCE +
SOMETIMES IT WAS BEAUTIFUL
Tickets: $15 General Admission / $7 Reduced Price 
Saturday, May 18th at 12PM

KUMVA – WHICH COMES FROM SILENCE
Sarah Mallégol, 2023,  France/Rwanda, 108m
Kinyarwanda and French with English subtitles 
US Premiere

They were children at the time of the Tutsi genocide in Rwanda (1994). They are now in their thirties and struggling with childhood memories of desolation and violence. To carry the weight of the past and think of a future we must talk freely. Kumva is about the need to build one’s own memory in order to give flesh to the dead and to build a bridge between the past and the present.

Preceded by:

SOMETIMES IT WAS BEAUTIFUL
Christian Nyampeta, 2018, Sweden/Democratic Republic of the Congo, 37m
English and Swedish with English subtitles

A group of unlikely friends gather in a time-knot to watch and critique films made by Swedish cinematographer Sven Nykvist in the Congo between 1948 and 1952. Their discussion highlights enduring tensions surrounding social transformation, cultural property, and who has the right to representation. 

Post-screening discussion TBA!

African Film Festival, Inc. (AFF) celebrates the 31st edition of the New York African Film Festival (NYAFF) from May 8 to May 30, 2024. Since its inception in 1993, the festival has been at the forefront of showcasing African and diaspora filmmakers’ unique storytelling through the moving image. This year’s theme, Convergence of Time, explores the intersection of historical and contemporary roles played by individuals representing Africa and its diaspora in art. With over 50 films from more than 25 countries, the festival invites audiences to delve into the convergence of archival and modern experimentalism, transcending both space and time.