{"id":8146773,"date":"2026-01-29T22:43:24","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T22:43:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/villa-albertine.org\/va\/?post_type=app_event&p=8146773"},"modified":"2026-01-29T22:43:27","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T22:43:27","slug":"cinema-african-from-independence-to-the-present-day","status":"publish","type":"app_event","link":"https:\/\/villa-albertine.org\/va\/events\/cinema-african-from-independence-to-the-present-day\/","title":{"rendered":"Cinema African: From Independence to the Present Day"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

From January 28 to May 17, 2026<\/strong>, 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<\/strong>, with selected Sunday<\/strong> repeat screenings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The program opens with foundational works by Ousmane Semb\u00e8ne and the clandestine film Come Back, Africa<\/em> 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Key films including Hyenas<\/em> by Djibril Diop Mamb\u00e9ty, Sambizanga<\/em> by Sarah Maldoror, and Ke\u00efta: The Heritage of the Griot<\/em> by Dani Kouyat\u00e9 demonstrate how African filmmakers weave together historical narratives, oral traditions, and cinematic innovation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The contemporary selection focuses on a striking form of magical realism, where memory, belief, and colonial legacies intersect\u2014from Baloji\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Presented in collaboration with the Department of Art History, Theory, and Criticism at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago<\/strong>. Lectures and synopses by Delinda Collier<\/strong>, Professor of Art History.
Some titles are offered as Sunday repeat screenings; repeat screenings do not include the lecture.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":8147807,"menu_order":0,"template":"","app_discipline":[219],"app_city_tax":[223],"app_event_type":[313],"class_list":["post-8146773","app_event","type-app_event","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","app_discipline-cinema","app_city_tax-chi","app_event_type-film-series"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCinema African: From Independence to the Present Day - Villa Albertine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A lecture and screening series exploring 65 years of African cinema, from anti-colonial resistance to contemporary innovation, January 28\u2013May 17, 2026.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/villa-albertine.org\/va\/events\/cinema-african-from-independence-to-the-present-day\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cinema African: From Independence to the Present Day - 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