Film Africa: Three Documentary Shorts

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AMPE – LEAP INTO THE SKY, BLACK GIRL (WORLD PREMIERE) 

This joyful ode to girlhood and innocence mirrors the playful spirit of the game from which the title is derived. Ampe, a rhythmic, high-energy game that includes jumping, clapping, and cheering as two teams select a stepping pattern and face off is a Ghanaian staple. From Accra, Ghana to Columbus, Ohio, Ampe: Leap into the Sky, Black Girl chronicles a group of girls as they retrace the steps back to their childhood selves. This charmer presents a slice of Black sisterhood and comments on the arts of home that we carry with us forever. 

 Dirs. Claudia Owusu, Ife Oluwamuyide
USA, Ghana. 2022. 25min. English, Twi, Pidgin with English Subtitles.  

LES GESTES DE SAINT-LOUIS (SAINT-LOUIS ON THE MOVE) (UK PREMIERE) 

Welcome to Saint-Louis! Discover this unique port city through the contemporary dance company, Diagn’art. Imaginative and lyrical, this is a dance ode inspired by all the vibrant and everyday spaces that make up Saint-Louis and that are, unfortunately, under threat of the rising ocean. 

 Dir. Kita Bauchet, Senegal. 2022. 32min. French with English Subtitles.  

SPIRITS WE DANCE (UK PREMIERE) 

In a tale of friendship between Afriyie and Alfred and a tale of love between a mother and daughter, Spirits We Dance takes viewers into an imaginative and surreal mindscape. A world sublime and yet childlike in its beauty, it is created by the characters to escape the pain of reality. Connecting with their spiritual side when they dance, the dancers are free from the restrictions their bodies and society impose. Challenging the idea that spirits are evil and menacing, two dancers find freedom when they leave reality behind and connect with the spirits of dance. 

Dir. Natalija Gormalova, Ghana. 2020. 21min. English and Twi with English Subtitles.