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Distributed for Intellect Ltd

Directory of World Cinema: Africa

Eschewing the postcolonial hubris that suggests Africa could only define itself in relation to its colonizers, a problem plaguing many studies published in the West on African cinema, this entry in the Directory of World Cinema series instead looks at African film as representing Africa for its own sake, values, and artistic choices.

With a film industry divided by linguistic heritage, African directors do not have the luxury of producing comedies, thrillers, horror films, or even love stories, except perhaps as DVDs that do not travel far outside their country of production. Instead, African directors tend to cover serious sociopolitical ground, even under the cover of comedy, in the hopes of finding funds outside Africa. Contributors to this volume draw on filmic representations of the continent to consider the economic role of women, rural exodus, economic migration, refugees, and diasporas, culture, religion, and magic as well as representations of children, music, languages, and symbols.

A survey of national cinemas in one volume, DirectoryofWorldCinema: Africa is a necessary addition to the bookshelf of any cinephile and world traveler. 

302 pages | 50 halftones | 7 x 9 | © 2014

Directory of World Cinema

Film Studies


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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Introduction
Films of the Year
A Screaming Man
The Pirogue
Eighteen Days
Directors
Abderrahmane Sissako
Osvalde Lewat
Darrell Roodt
Francois Verster
Modes of Production
What is African Cinema? The Industries of African Cinema
French Funding and African Francophone Cinema
Bongo Movies: A Modern African Film Industry in Tanzania
Aesthetics
Scoring African Cinema
Locations: Authentic or Substituted
Festival Focus
Fespaco Film Festival
African Film Festivals Around the World
Drama
Essays
Reviews
Documentary
Essays
Reviews
Comedy
Essays
Reviews
Social Issues
Essays
Reviews
Childhood in African Cinema
Essays
Reviews
Literary Adaptation
Essays
Reviews
History and Film
Essays
Reviews
Screening War, Surviving War
Essays
Reviews
African Seen by ‘Outsiders’: Invention, Idea, Method
Essays
Reviews
Surreal
Essays
Reviews
(Home) Videos from Nigeria and Ghana
Essays
Reviews
Recommended Reading
African Cinema Online
Test Your Knowledge
Notes on Contributors
Filmography

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