This year again, Villa Albertine is delighted to support the African Film Festivaland to stand alongside its commitment to amplifying these essential voices and perspectives on screen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The festival presents premieres, special events, Q&As with filmmakers,\u00a0a lineup of short films spanning the globe. We are also proud to announce that Villa Albertine Resident Johanny Makabi<\/a> will be presenting two shorts films, including the project she worked on during her artist residency in the U.S in 2024. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Explore the full program here<\/a>, and learn more about the French and French coproduction films participating in the festival below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Promised Sky<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Marie, an Ivorian pastor and former journalist, has lived in Tunisia for 10 years. Her home becomes a refuge for Naney, a young mother seeking a better future, and Jolie, a student carrying her family\u2019s expectations. With the arrival of Kenza, a little orphan girl and shipwreck survivor, Marie takes on the role of caregiver. As the four women grow closer, they navigate poverty, displacement, and the fragile bonds of a makeshift family in a tense social climate. Selected as the opening film in the 2025 Cannes Un Certain Regard program, the latest drama from director Erige Sehiri (Under the Fig Trees) features a stellar cast including C\u00e9sar Award-nominated A\u00efssa Ma\u00efga (Bamako, Above Water, Toussaint Louverture).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Directors: Erige Sehiri Get Tickets Now !<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Cam\u00e9ra d’Afrique<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Seventy years after the invention of cinema\u2014and after several decades of colonial cinema using Africa as an exotic setting, often denying humanity and dignity to its people\u2014newly independent Africans finally took hold of the movie camera. Undeterred by the lack of means and infrastructure, they showed African reality in its variegated forms, seen at last through African eyes. Using extracts from significant films, interviews with filmmakers, and rare vintage footage, Cam\u00e9ra d\u2019Afrique<\/em> recalls the first 20 years of the new auteur cinema of sub-Saharan Africa, which bears witness to an indefatigable\u2014and still-enduring\u2014drive for self-expression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Director: F\u00e9rid Boughedir Get Tickets Now ! <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Cam\u00e9ra Arabe<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n F\u00e9rid Boughedir\u2019s Cam\u00e9ra arabe<\/em> is a fast-paced documentary exploring the rise of politically engaged cinema in North Africa and the Middle East from the 1960s onward. Through film clips and filmmaker testimonies, it links this cinematic movement to major historical events like the Six-Day War and the Lebanon War, highlighting how directors grappled with questions of identity and expression. Featuring key voices such as Mohamed Lakhdar-Hamina and Youssef Chahine, the film stands as a passionate tribute to a bold, independent wave of Arab cinema. Writing in Variety<\/em> upon its 1987 release, Anthony Yung says \u201cChahine\u2019s intelligent, anguished battle to describe Arabs\u2019 shaken sense of their own identity in a world rocked by dramatic political events rather sums up the film.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Director : F\u00e9rid Boughedir Get Tickets Now ! <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Am\u00edlcar<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Poet, agricultural engineer and revolutionary Am\u00edlcar Cabral was born in Guinea-Bissau to Cape Verdean parents. After studying in Portugal, he emerged as the charismatic leader of the anti-colonial struggle against Portuguese rule. With his utopian ideas, he sparked a cultural and an armed uprising that went on to inspire other African liberation movements. Get Tickets Now ! <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Batwing: Unmasked: An African Super Hero<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Everyone knows Batman\u2014but far fewer know Batwing, DC Comics\u2019 first African superhero, introduced in 2011 as the \u201cBatman of Africa.\u201d This documentary travels across the continent to explore how African readers and artists respond to, reinterpret, and debate his meaning and legacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Director : Thomas Letellier Get Tickets Now ! <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Cotton Queen<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n In a cotton-farming village in Sudan, teenage Nafisa is raised on heroic tales of battling British colonisers told by her grandmother, the village matriarch Al-Sit. But when a young businessman arrives from abroad with a new development plan and genetically engineered cotton, Nafisa becomes the center of a power play to determine the future of the village. Awakening to her own strength, Nafisa sets out to save the cotton fields \u2013 and herself. Neither she nor her community will ever be the same again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Director : Suzannah Mirghani Get Tickets Now ! <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Germaine Acogny, l’essence de la danse <\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Germaine Acogny, the “mother of African contemporary dance,” is one of Africa\u2019s most influential artists. This documentary traces her journey as a pioneer in blending traditional West African dance with European influences, creating the Acogny Technique, which has shaped contemporary dance worldwide. With over 50 years of performing and teaching, the 80-year-old dance icon received the Golden Lion for Dance at the 2021 Venice Dance Festival for her lifetime achievements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Director : Greta-Marie Becker Get Tickets Now ! <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n I am Black, I Am Beautiful<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Twelve Afro-French women talk about their relationship with hair, beauty standards, men, and representation in the media. Their journey of doubts, growth, alienation, reconciliation, resilience, and self-acceptance raises awareness about social and cultural issues in both African and Western societies. By publicly sharing their experiences, the documentary creates space for these women to speak, be seen, and be heard, while fostering an honest dialogue both within and beyond the Black community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Director : Sabrina Onana Get Tickets Now ! <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n I Jant\u00f4 !<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n I Jant\u00f4!<\/em> tells the story of the Malian crisis through the events that have unfolded since 2012. The film examines the underlying causes of the violent inter-community conflicts that have shaken the country, often described as ethnic conflicts. I Jant\u00f4!<\/em> aims to offer a more nuanced perspective: it depicts the many facets of this violence and reveals aspects of the conflicts that are often overlooked, going beyond simple ethnic rivalries to explore political, economic, and social issues. Through poignant testimonies from Malian citizens\u2014victims of massacres, displaced persons, and civil society actors\u2014the film reveals the suffering and challenges faced by these populations. It also explores attempts at reconciliation, efforts to restore peace, and efforts to rebuild a fractured society. The film highlights the resilience of the people, but also raises many unresolved questions: How can this cycle of violence be broken? How can trust between communities be restored? And above all, how can peace be preserved in an unstable international context?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Director : Soussaba Ciss\u00e9 Get Tickets Now ! <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Soul of Africa<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The first feature documentary by author and African historian Gabriel Souleyka delves into the heart of African spirituality, exploring its deep roots and its evolution across centuries, exploring a fundamental question: What were the spiritual beliefs and practices of African peoples before the arrival of Christianity and Islam on the Continent? It features captivating images and moving testimonies at the 10th Festival of Black Divinities, held in Togo in 2025, a cultural and spiritual event that celebrates ancestral traditions and African deities\u2014its rituals, dances, songs, and ceremonies serve as a thread to explore the wealth of pre-colonial African spiritualities. Through expert interviews, immersive festival sequences, and philosophical reflections, The Soul of Africa<\/em> highlights the resilience of spiritual tradition despite outside influences and examines its place in contemporary Africa, offering a vibrant journey into the heart of a continent where the sacred and the profane blend harmoniously. It is both a tribute to ancestral spiritualities and an invitation to discover Africa\u2019s cultural foundations while questioning their future in a rapidly changing world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Director : Gabriel Souleyka Get Tickets Now ! <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Wolobougou<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWolobougou,\u201d meaning \u201cthe place of compassionate birth\u201d in Bambara, is the name of the small bush maternity clinic founded by midwife Honorine Soma in Burkina Faso. Driven by a commitment to revolutionize the status of women in Burkinab\u00e8 society, Honorine created the clinic to provide healthcare access to women in a region where medical resources are scarce. In this demanding environment, every action taken is essential. Honorine passes on her feminist struggle to the young midwives she trains, helping them to gain independence. Wolobougou <\/em>is a quest for dignity and justice, rooted in the intimate experience of the woman’s body.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Director : Camille Varenne Get Tickets Now ! <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Children of the Diaspora<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Through the inner monologue of a child of African immigrants, the film brings us originally and poetically to the heart of the identity journey of diaspora children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Director : Sabrina Onana Get Tickets Now ! <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Faux Lion<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n When he sneaks into a Simb \u2014 a festival where men dressed as lions dance to the rhythm of the sabars \u2014 Assane, a quiet young boy, sets in motion more than a simple punishment. What he experiences sends him on an initiatory journey through fear, myth, and ancestral transmission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Director : Agathe Moubemb\u00e9 Get Tickets Now ! <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n French Touch<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n The story that follows centers on the President of the Land of Diamonds\u2014a fictional character in a fictional world, yet one that remains strikingly close to reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Director : Hanna Trabelsi Get Tickets Now ! <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Happy Meal<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Thirtysomething Dom is undergoing therapy. As the Christmas holidays come to an end, he is granted, for the first time in years, the right to spend a day alone with his daughters. A precious day… that he dreads seeing come to an end. Staring Salif Ciss\u00e9. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Director : Johanna Makabi Get Tickets Now ! <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n The Kankurang<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n After a family drama, Omar, a turbulent child, faces new responsibilities. He\u2019ll have to meet the Kankurang to become a man and embrace adulthood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Director : Ciesay Get Tickets Now ! <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Kids See Ghosts<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n One night, Jayden, a young boy, listens to his grandmother tell a poetic story about the innocence of children and the ghosts that arise within them due to the actions of adults. Through four stories, the film illustrates how these traumas emerge and leave lasting marks across generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Director : Daniel Thalmas Get Tickets Now ! <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Lapo Chap\u00e9<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLapo Chap\u00e9\u201d, a Martinican Creole term, means \u201cskin color that escapes slave status.\u201d The documentary explores skin color and mixed-race identities through testimonies that reveal history\u2019s imprint on our identities, using Moreau de Saint-M\u00e9ry\u2019s Classification as a lens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Director : Melissandra Monathus Get Tickets Now ! <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Le Grand Calao<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s a hot day, as it often is in Ouagadougou. It\u2019s also a very special day for a group of women taking a long-awaited getaway, a moment of discovery, and a break from the hustle and bustle of the world and their lives. A few tourists are there too, a wealthy family from Burkina Faso is lounging around, and a few soldiers are watching over the place. It\u2019s a small world that moves slowly around the Grand Calao\u2019s swimming pool. Until sunset, the women spend a moment out of time, talking about their lives and their problems, while exploring the new sensation of their bodies in the calm blue water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Director : Zo\u00e9 Cauwet Get Tickets Now ! <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Motherland<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n l left my mother’s homeland, just as she had before me. It was in the depths of the New York subway, in Harlem, that I met Sabrina. An African American ballerina, she was the first in her family to leave the South for the Big Apple. She confided in me how dance had set her free from her motherland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Director : Johanna Makabi Get Tickets Now ! <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Sunset Valentine<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Marseille, France. Eighteen-year-old Awa is bored spending her summer evenings with her two friends, Charifa and Salom\u00e9, in the huge open-air parking lot of the \u201cCentre Valentine\u201d shopping center. To ward off boredom, the friends like to set themselves increasingly absurd challenges. When Awa’s eyes fall on a stranger in the parking lot, her friend challenges her to accost him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Director : R\u00e9mi Sogadji Get Tickets Now ! <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Vieyra, The Innovative Pioneer<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Based on an idea by and directed by St\u00e9phane Vieyra, the film imagines a virtual encounter between pioneering Senegalese filmmaker Paulin Soumanou Vieyra and his grandsons during a visit to a museum retracing his life, highlighting his childhood, his encounters, his studies, and his work. Accompanied by the voice of his wife, Myriam Warner Vieyra, it immerses viewers in a poetic, fictional space where timeless words poignantly evoke the departure of a loved one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Director : St\u00e9phane Soumanou Vieyra Get Tickets Now ! <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\nFeature Films<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Drama, 2025, 95 min., France\u2013Tunisia\u2013Qatar
In Arabic, French with English subtitles. New York Premiere<\/p>\n\n\n\n
May 6, 6:30pm | Film at Lincoln Center – Walter Reade Theater<\/strong><\/a>
May 7, 2:00pm | Film at Lincoln Center – Francesca Beale Theater<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Documentary, 1983, 95 min., Tunisia – France
In French with English subtitles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
May 9, 12:00pm | Film at Licoln Center – Francesca Beale Theater<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Documentary, 1987, 65 min., France – Tunisia
In Arabic and French with English Subtitle <\/p>\n\n\n\n
May 12, 5:45pm | Film at Lincoln Center – Francesca Beale Theater<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Director : Miguel Eek
Documentary, 2025, 87 min., France, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Cabo Verde
In Spanish, French, Portuguese <\/p>\n\n\n\n
May 17, 8:30pm | Maysles Cinema <\/strong><\/a>
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Documentary, 2026, 52 min., France
In English, French. US Premiere<\/p>\n\n\n\n
May 16, 4:30pm | Maysles Cinema<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Drama, 2025, 94 min., Germany, France, Palestine, State of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan
In English, French. New York Premiere<\/p>\n\n\n\n
May 25, 90 min | BAM Roses Cinemas<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Documentary, 2025, 86 min., France, Germany
In French, English, Wolof, Fon <\/p>\n\n\n\n
May 26, 6:00PM | BAM Rose Cinemas<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Documentary, 2023, 83 min., France
In French. New York Premiere<\/p>\n\n\n\n
May 25, 1:30PM | BAM Rose Cinemas<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Documentary, 2025, 90 min., Mali, France, Germany
In Bamabara, French with English Subtitle. New York Premiere<\/p>\n\n\n\n
May 25, 1:30PM | BAM Rose Cinemas<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Documentary, 2025, 67min., Togo, France, United States
In English, French with English Subtitle. World Premiere<\/p>\n\n\n\n
May 25, 1:30PM | BAM Rose Cinemas<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ficton, 2025, 66 min., France
In Dioula with English Subtitle. New York Premiere. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
May 15, 5:30PM | Maysles Cinema<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nShort Films<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Short, 2024, 8 min., France
In French<\/p>\n\n\n\n
May 25, 1:30 | BAM Rose Cinemas<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Short, 2025, 9 min., France, Senegal
In Wolof with English Subtitle<\/p>\n\n\n\n
May 7, 8:30PM | Film at Lincoln Center – Francesca Beale Theater<\/a>
May 8, 3:00PM | Film at Lincoln Center – Francesca Beale Theater<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Short, 2025, 30 min., France
In French<\/p>\n\n\n\n
May 16, 12:00PM | Maysles Cinema<\/a>
<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Short, 2025, 19 min., France
US Premiere. French with English Subtitle<\/p>\n\n\n\n
May 7, 8:30PM | Film at Lincoln Center – Francesca Beale Theater<\/a>
May 8, 3:00PM | Film at Lincoln Center – Francesca Beale Theater<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Short, 2025, 9 min., France, Gambia
US Premiere. Wolof, English<\/p>\n\n\n\n
May 23, 9:15PM | BAM Rose Cinemas<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Short, 2025, 11 min., C\u00f4te d’Ivoire, France
North American Premiere. French<\/p>\n\n\n\n
May 25, 6:30PM | BAM Rose Cinemas<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Short, 2025, 31 min., France, French<\/p>\n\n\n\n
May 16, 6:45PM | Maysles Cinema<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Short, 2024, 27 min., Burkina Faso, France
Moor\u00e9, French with English Subtitle<\/p>\n\n\n\n
May 30, 6:30PM | St. Nicholas Park<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Short, 2026, 25 min., France, United States
English. World Premiere. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
May 17, 6:00PM | Maysles Cinema<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Short, 2025, 15 min., France
French. US Premiere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
May 28, 8:00PM | Bam Rose Cinemas<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Short, 2025, 9 min., France
French with English Subtitle. US Premiere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
May 11, 8:15PM | Film at Lincoln Center – Franscesca Beale Theater<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n