Bronx (New York), USA – On Friday, August 1, 2008 from 6:00 to 10:00pm, the Andrew Freedman Home in the South Bronx will serve as the backdrop for the Bronx Museum of the Arts’ FREE First Fridays! event “Africanísimo!” Organized in collaboration the African Film Festival and Afrokinetic, the program will offer an exciting afternoon of outdoor film screenings by some of today’s brightest filmmakers, and live musical performances by DJ Chris Annibell and Magbana Drum and Dance NYC. The Andrew Freedman Home is located across the street from the Bronx Museum at 1125 Grand Concourse (at McClellan Street). In the event of rain, the program will take place at the Museum.
Schedule of program is as follows:
PERFORMANCES:
6:00 – 7:00 PM
DJ CHRIS ANNIBELL (AFROKINETIC)
Musically connected, socially inclusive and culturally diverse, Afrokinetic explore afro-rhythms influence on dance music worldwide. With a seamless mix of Afrofunk, house, soul, broken beat, Latin grooves, jazz, reggae, rock and classics; innovative music, art, dance and beautiful people come together in dynamic environments.
MICHAEL MARKUS + MAGBANA DRUM AND DANCE NYC
Established in 1997 by artistic director Michael Markus, Magbana Drum and Dance NYC, is a group of fourteen talented percussionists and dancers with a large repertory of exciting West African pieces as well as works that combine martial arts, modern dance, and world percussion. The sheer power of the drumming and the explosive energy of the dancers combined with tight arrangements, innovative choreography, original costumes, and racial diversity put Magbana in a class by itself.
FILM SCREENINGS:
7:30 – 9:00 PM
“THE LITTLE GIRL WHO SOLD THE SUN”
Dir. Djibril Diop Mambety
Senegal – 1999 – 45 min. – in Wolof with English subtitles
This film is a luminous portrait of a young physically-challenged girl and her determination to be a street vendor of Le Soliel, the national newspaper of Senegal. It is at once a tribute to the indomitable spirit of the “street children” of Dakar and to the individual’s capability for transforming his/her situation.
“MAMBETY”
Dir. Papa Madieye Mbaye
Senegal – 2002 – 28 min. – in Wolof and French with English subtitles
How did the great Djibril Diop Mambety direct his critically acclaimed films "The Little Girl Who Sold the Sun" and “Hyenas”? This behind-the-scenes documentary by Papa Madieye Mbaye looks at the aesthetics and antics of one of the most important African filmmakers of the last century.
African Film Festival Inc. is sponsored by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council on the Arts, JPMorganChase and Starry Night Fund of Tides Foundation.
First Fridays are generously supported by Deutsche Bank and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Additional marketing support is provided by The New York Community Trust.
African Film Festival
For almost twenty years, African Film Festival, Inc. has bridged the divide between post-colonial Africa and the American public through the medium of film. AFF’s unique place in the international arts community is distinguished not only by leadership in festival management but a comprehensive approach to the advocacy of African film and culture. We are particularly mindful of the many ways in which cinema is as much a medium of cultural exchange as an educational gate-way.
The Bronx Museum Of The Arts
The flagship cultural institution of The Bronx, founded in 1971, The Bronx Museum of the Arts focuses on 20th-century and contemporary art, while serving the culturally diverse populations of The Bronx and the greater New York metropolitan area. The museum’s home on the Grand Concourse is a distinctive contemporary landmark designed by the internationally-renowned firm Arquitectonica.
The Bronx Museum of the Arts maintains a permanent collection of 20th and 21st-century works by artists of African, Asian, and Latin American ancestry. Additionally, the Museum collects works by artists for whom The Bronx has been critical to their artistic practice and development. The Museum’s educational offerings spring from these central programs with outreach to children and families as well as adult audiences.
For more information visit:
Author: World Music Central News Room
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