Portland observer., February 10, 2021, Page 13, Image 13

February 10, 2021
Page 13
Arts &
ENTERTAINMENT
The Beauty, Power of African Cinema
Jada-Jewell Latin
Cascade Festival goes online during pandemic
Not even a global pandem-
ic can stop the Cascade Festival
of African Films. The beloved
celebration of African cinema
at Portland Community College
has returned for its 31st annual
run, with screenings now through
March 10, and for the first time
presented entirely online at afri-
canfilmfestival.org.
“While we can’t gather in
person this year, I know that the
beauty and power of these films
will bring us together even in vir-
tual space,” said festival director
Tracy Francis.
Free and open to the public,
the longest-running African film
festival in the United States this
year features a curated collection
of 25 films by African directors
from more than 15 nations, live
interviews with filmmakers, com-
munity conversations, and a vir-
tual marketplace of local vendors
and more.
“Obviously, films are meant to
be enjoyed in a theater, and our
festival is meant to bring fans of
African film together from across
our region, but I think this year’s
unique circumstances will make
this a festival to remember,”
Francis added. “People will be
able to watch from the safety of
their own homes, and our online
format will be able to reach fans
of African cinema anywhere in
the world.”
The festival kicked off last Fri-
day with the film “You Will Die
at Twenty,” a visually stunning
masterpiece from Sudan, and for
the first time ever will close out
its run with a drive-in screening
of “Farewell Amor” at 7 p.m.,
Saturday, March 6. Attendees
Outreach Manager
Scan to download
the Nombolo app!
ljada.jewell@gmail.com
www.nombola.com
$5.00
TEES
The epic historical drama “Hero,” based on a West Indian man
born in Trinidad who was a World War II hero and an activist for
African Independence movements, highlights one of the 25 on-line
films featured at this year’s Cascade Festival of African Films.
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Inspired by true events, “Subira” tells the story of a free-spirited young
Kenyan girl and her fisherman father who opens her young mind to a
world of possibilities that extends beyond the single role that her strict
Islamic culture has consigned to her as a woman: marriage.
will be able to enjoy the throw-
back fun of a drive-in movie
while remaining socially distant
within their own vehicles.
Other film highlights include
“The Ghost and the House of
Truth,” a thriller from Nigeria
by festival favorite Akin Amo-
toso; the epic historical drama
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“Hero,” highlighting the pan-Af-
rican movement; “When We’re
Born,” an uplifting musical from
Egypt; and an imaginative surreal
journey from Angola, “Air Con-
ditioner.”
Visit
africanfilmfestival.org
for a full calendar of films and di-
rector appearances.