The 32nd New York African Film Festival returns this May, showcasing over 100 films from Africa and its diaspora. Taking place at Film at Lincoln Center and other esteemed venues throughout the city, the festival runs from May 7 to May 13, with additional screenings and events happening throughout the month.
This year’s theme, “Fluid Horizons: A Shifting Lens on a Hopeful World,” according to a statement, highlights the resilience and creativity of African youth and the impact of those who paved the way for them.
The festival features a range of genres, from comedies to experimental films, offering a multidimensional take on African culture, history and cinema.
The Opening Night film is Afolabi Olalekan’s debut, “Freedom Way,” a fast-paced thriller that follows the lives of nine individuals in Lagos. The Centerpiece film is Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine’s “Memories of Love Returned,” a documentary about the transformative power of photography. The Closing Night film is a shorts program featuring women-centered films, including the world premiere of Kounkou Hoveyda’s “We Will Be Who We Are.”
The festival spotlights films from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, shorts from South Africa, and other exciting works. Two art exhibitions, “Congo RE-Vue: A Fresh Perspective by Emerging Congolese Talent” and Bereket Adamu’s “All Night We Waited for Morning, All Morning We Waited for Night,” will also be on display.
The festival includes a free panel discussion, “From Then to Now: Celebrating 15 Years of African Cinema,” and screenings at Maysles Documentary Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and St. Nicholas Park.
Tickets are available online, with discounts for students, seniors and FLC members while events take place at the Film at Lincoln Center, Maysles Documentary Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and St. Nicholas Park
