African Cinema Exhibition - films from 8 countries, between classic and contemporary productions, from 02/05 to 01/06

THE AFRICAN CINEMA EXHIBIT brings together 16 films from 8 West African countries: Senegal, Niger, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Congo, Benin, Cameroon and Rwanda. The program is a partnership with the French Institute, which has been making available to the CCVM the exhibition of films from its Cinematheque. Both classic productions, such as Africa on the Seine (1957), considered the founding landmark of African cinema, and recent films, mixing short and feature films, documentaries and fictional dramas, as well as two animated feature films, focused on the children's audience. Several of the Mostra's films participated in important festivals such as Cannes and the Tribeca Film Festival . Most of them are unprecedented in Brazil, a special opportunity for people from Maranhão to get to know African production. All films are subtitled in Portuguese. The director and curator of Centro Cultural Vale Maranhão, Paula Porta, points out that “stimulating the public from Maranhão in contact with African cultural production is one of the programming lines that we consider to be very important; we've already gone through art, storytelling and now we bring cinema. These are very special opportunities to get to know a little more about the thriving production of the continent with which we have a deep connection”. The Show started on the last 2nd and ends on June 1st. Admission is free. AFRICAN CINEMA EXHIBITION Feature Films for children and youth 02 to 04/ 07 to 11/ 14 to 18 of May 15h Aya de Youpogon (2012) by Marguerite Abouet and Clément Oubrerie Duration: 1h24 min. – Côte d'Ivoire/ France Synopsis: The film tells the story of Aya, a 19-year-old girl who lives in the city of Yopougon and divides her time between her studies, her family and her two best friends, who don't want to walk around the city. savannah at dusk. 21/05 to 01/06 15h Minga ea Colher Quebrada (2017) by Claye Edou Duration: 1h2min. – Cameroon Synopsis: Minga is a young orphan who lives with her stepmother. After breaking a small spoon, it is thrown out of the house. So begins a real adventure punctuated with melodies, friendships, doubts and many surprises for the little heroine. 03/05 – Documentaries 19h Africa on the Seine (1957), by Paulin Soumanou Vieyra, Mamadou Saar (documentary) Duration: 21 min – Senegal/ France Synopsis: Without getting permission in Senegal, filmmaker Paulin Soumanou Vieyra decides to film his first short film in Paris. The film deals with the life of African students in the city, their encounters and nostalgia for their homeland. Is Africa in Africa, on the banks of the Seine River or in the Latin Quarter? It's the bittersweet question of a generation of artists and students in search of their civilization, their culture and their future. The film, considered first to be directed by African filmmakers, was made with the sponsorship of the Museum of Man. Aoure (1962) by Moustapha Alassane (documentary) Duration: 30 min – Nigeria Synopsis: Reconstituting a traditional marriage in Nigeria, the film chronicles the daily life of a djerma couple in a village on the banks of the Niger River. Atlânticos (2009) by Mati Diop Duration: 16 min – France/ Senegal Synopsis: At nightfall, around the fire in Dakar, a young woman tells the odyssey of her love that disappears into the sea. The film competed for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, it was the first time that a black woman was selected for the competitive exhibition. Day 04/05 – Feature Fiction 18:30 The Boat of Hope (La Pirogue) (2012), by Moussa Touré Duration: 1h27 min Drama/Fiction – Senegal Synopsis: From a fishing village on the outskirts of Dakar, several pirogues depart for Europe . Baye Laye, captain of one of the boats, does not want to leave, but he has no choice, he will have to take 30 passengers to Spain, some have never seen the sea and nobody knows what awaits them. Day 10/05 – Documentary 3:00pm and 7:00pm The Siren of Faso Fani (2015) by Michel K. Zongo Duration: 1h30 min – Burkina Faso Synopsis: In Kodougou, the Faso Fani factory – the cloth of the country, was for a long time the pride for the quality and global reputation of its fabrics. In 2001, it is closed, due to restructuring plans imposed by the IMF and the World Bank. More than 10 years later, the director goes to meet his former employees, who started weaving in their backyards. The film is a tribute to African resistance to globalization. Day 11/05 – Feature Fiction 19h RUN (2013) by Phillipe Lacôte Duration: 1h42 min – Drama – Ivory Coast Synopsis: Run runs away…He has just killed the prime minister of his country. To do so, he had to dress up as a madman, wandering around the city. He reviews his life in flashes of memory; his childhood with Master Tourou, when he dreamed of being a rain elder, his adventures with Gladys the glutton, and his military past as a young patriot. It competed for the Oscar for best foreign film in 2016. 05/17 – Feature Documentary 3:00 pm and 7:00 pm On the Paths of the Rumba (2014) by David Pierre-Fila Duration: 1h38 min – Documentary – Congo Synopsis: The film takes us along African coasts and Cubans. It shows the familiarity of the local essences of this rhythm with rhythms originating from the Congo Basin, revealing one of the aspects of the diaspora of African cultures. Day 18/05 – Feature Fiction 19h Wallay (2016) by Berni Goldblat Duration: 1h26 min – Drama – Burkina Faso/ France Synopsis: Ady, aged 13, is sent by his father to an uncle, during the summer. The boy used to his French life, sees the trip as a vacation. However, he will have to bend to local customs and learn to mature. A film about initiation into adulthood. Day 24/05 – Documentaries 19h Year 27 (2015) by Wabinlé Nabié Duration: 27 min – Documentary – Burkina Faso Synopsis: It is the 27th anniversary of the murder of Thomas Sankara. In Ouagadougou, amidst the garbage, children look for plastic bags, collected in exchange for a meager salary. At the end of the workday, they can rediscover their childhood, laughing and playing for a few hours before the next day announces itself. The Fruitless Tree (2016) by Aïcha El Hadj Macky Duration: 52 min – Documentary – Niger/ France Synopsis: Married and without children, Aïcha finds herself in an atypical and difficult situation in her country, Niger. Based on her personal story, the filmmaker breaks taboos and delicately explores the hidden suffering of women. Day 25/05 – Feature Fiction 19:00 The Little Sun Seller (1998) by Djibril Diop Manbéty Duration: 45 min – Drama – Senegal Synopsis: In the streets of Dakar, a girl does the work reserved for boys: selling a newspaper. The film portrays the confrontation between childhood and reality, and the joyful desire not to let oneself down. Manbéty is one of the most outstanding African filmmakers. Pim Pim Tché (2010) by Jean Odoutan Duration: 1h24 min – Comedy – Benin Synopsis: The young Chimène, aged 17, uses her seduction to fulfill her dream of entering university and flying with her own wings. May 31st – Feature documentary 7pm Mamma Colonel (2016) by Dieudo Hamadi Duration: 1h12min – Documentary – Congo Synopsis: Portrait of Colonel Honorine Munyole, for twelve years head of the brigade to combat violence against women and children in the National Police Congolese. Winner of the grand prize at the Festival Cinema du Reel (Paris). Day 01/06 – Long drama 18:30 Matter Gray (2017) by Kivu Ruhorahoza Duration: 1h50 min – Drama – Rwanda Synopsis: Balthazar is a young Rwandan filmmaker working on his first film, a fiction about a young woman abused by her brother. In the midst of the recordings, the young man meets a psychiatric hospital inmate who will change the course of things. The film deals with the trauma and madness after the 1994 genocide and has won awards at several festivals, including Tribecca (New York), Rotterdam and Melbourne.