Cinema African: From Independence to the Present Day
Hyenas (1992), directed by Djibril Diop Mambéty
From January 28 to May 17, 2026, this lecture and screening series offers a journey through 65 years of African cinema, from early anti-colonial resistance to the most innovative contemporary practices. Screenings take place on Wednesdays at 6:00 pm, with selected Sunday repeat screenings.
The program opens with foundational works by Ousmane Sembène and the clandestine film Come Back, Africa by Lionel Rogosin, a powerful denunciation of apartheid. It then moves through revolutionary cinema, formal experimentation, and the rise of new film industries such as Nollywood, highlighting the political and aesthetic diversity of the continent.
Key films including Hyenas by Djibril Diop Mambéty, Sambizanga by Sarah Maldoror, and Keïta: The Heritage of the Griot by Dani Kouyaté demonstrate how African filmmakers weave together historical narratives, oral traditions, and cinematic innovation.
The contemporary selection focuses on a striking form of magical realism, where memory, belief, and colonial legacies intersect—from Baloji’s mystical exploration of witchcraft accusations, to the surreal imagery of Rungano Nyoni, and the spectral voices of repatriated artifacts in the work of Mati Diop.
Featuring fourteen films from Senegal, Mali, Angola, Kenya, Chad, and beyond, the series reveals how African filmmakers continue to reinvent cinema as a tool for decolonization, self-assertion, and artistic experimentation.
Presented in collaboration with the Department of Art History, Theory, and Criticism at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Lectures and synopses by Delinda Collier, Professor of Art History.
Some titles are offered as Sunday repeat screenings; repeat screenings do not include the lecture.