African and Chinese filmmakers rubbed shoulders at the China-Africa Film Week, a special showcase of film screenings held in Changsha and Xiangtan, Hunan Province from June 12 to 16 during the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo.
A total of 24 films from China and Africa were screened across six cinemas in Changsha, bringing the two places closer together.Under the theme of "Bridging Continents, Connected by Light and Emotion," the film week aimed to facilitate cultural exchange and cooperation through an opening ceremony, film screenings, a development forum, a film music concert and post-screening Q&A sessions. The film week opened with a screening of "Yesterday," a 2004 production from South Africa which was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at 77th Academy Awards.
It follows the character Yesterday, a mother with HIV living in a remote village.
The movie's director Darrell Roodt attended the film week for the screening and other events and said that it would be interesting to see if the film has stood the test of time."I think the themes are still very relevant, because the HIV/AIDS pandemic has not gone away; it's hidden… Anti-retroviral drugs are not as freely available as there were.
Weirdly, the film has a relevance now," said Roodt."When I made the film, I consciously tried to avoid the words 'HIV' and 'AIDS.' It was not about that.
It's about the human spirit.
It is about triumphing against all odds.
That's what makes the film timeless and universal," he added.The screenings were divided into four thematic sections: "Reframing Africa: The Awakening of Indigenous Narratives," "Crossing Cultures: Cinematic Journeys Through Shared Stories," "Featuring China: Eastern Wisdom in a Global Context," and Spotlighting South Africa: Cultural Visions of the Rainbow Nation." Also attending the film week from South Africa was Jahmil X.
T.
Qubeka, whose movie "Sew the Winter to My Skin" formed part of the South Africa section.
Set during the early days of apartheid in South Africa in the 1950s, it tells the story of "outlaw" John Kepe, who stole livestock in the rural Great Karoo region and shared it with the needy.
Released in 2018, the film depicts the manhunt, capture and subsequent trial of this "Robin Hood" of rural South Africa.Qubeka said, "Cinema is the single most visceral instrument of understanding each other across cultural and racial divides.""Movies allow us to travel through time and space, fostering a lingering empathy of human resilience the world over.
I'm honored that I was asked to participate in China-Africa Film Week, and I am especially happy to bring my feature film "Sew the Winter to My Skin" to this wonderful cultural celebration.
It is my dream that we can foster fundamental cooperation going forward, where more African films reach Chinese audiences, and vice versa," said Qubeka.The filmmaker has previously worked on a co-production involving China, an experience that he says taught him that collaboration leads to human empathy."The famous Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke was mandated by BRICS to make an anthology film involving filmmakers from BRICS countries.
So, we did a chapter each… I remember we were saying as a collective of (BRICS) filmmakers that this is key for the sake of understanding.
A quote (at this film week) resonated with me: 'Film builds empathy.' This is going to work by bridging human gaps and connecting with humans on the other side," he added.Beninese actress Alazi Soumaila Rawdoth, also known by her Chinese name Mulan, has been climbing the ladder in Chinese productions, having had acting roles in the CCTV1 drama series "Happiness Juncao" and the West Africa-set "Formed Police Unit," which was included in the "Featuring China" section of the film week.Rawdoth said: "I've been in Benin for six months.
I went back because I want African and Chinese filmmakers to collaborate and make wonderful movies and TV shows.
Benin has interesting things to show the world and China.
Benin is a bridge to West African cultures."She added: "I'm working with Chinese filmmakers to make a movie; it's a comedy.
A comedy is a kind of film that all of us, whether you are Chinese or African, can find funny and interesting.
Watching comedy films helped me learn more about Chinese culture.
It's because of these films that I came to China and learnt Chinese."