AFRICAN LEADERS:
AMILCAR CABRAL & FRANTZ FANON
Amilcar Cabral directed by Ana Ramos Lisboa, 2001
Franz Fanton directed by Cheikh Djemai, 2001

In this two-DVD set, two African leaders who defied colonialism are profiled and given their places in history.

Amilcar Cabral: An icon of Africa, Amilcar Cabral was the founder of the African Party for Independence of Guinea Bissau and Cape Verde (PAIGC) who led the Liberation Movement against Portugal for those countries. Using rare archival footage, director Ana Lucia Ramos Lisboa accurately chronicles both the personal and public Cabral. In Portuguese with English subitles.

Franz Fanton: His Life, His Struggle, His Work: Frantz Fanon, a psychiatrist, philosopher, and political leader, became a spokesman for the Algerian revolution against French colonialism. Author of Black Skin, White Masks, he documented the effects of colonialism and racism on the people of colonized countries. Director Cheikh Djemai uncovered scores of Fanon's former associates and interviewed them for this important documentary. In French with English subtitles.

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BAB EL-OUED CITY
Directed by Merzak Allouache, 1994

Shot in secrecy in Algeria by acclaimed director Merzak Allouache because of its insight into the political ramifications of Islamic fundamentalism, Bab el-Oued City -- a story ripped from today's headlines -- reveals how religious militancy affects ordinary men and women. In Arabic with English subtitles.

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GREAT AFRICAN FILMS VOL.1:
FARAW! & HARAMUYA
Directed by Abdoulaye Ascofare, 1997

From Africa come two beautifully crafted films inspired by the love of the filmmakers for their homeland. In Haramuya, director Drissa Toure offers a fascinating glimpse of the capital of his native Burkina Faso, where a modern prosperous city is surrounded by shanty-town suburbs. In Abdoulaye Ascofare's Faraw: Mother of the Dunes, a mother of three struggles to support her family in the face of her husband's arrest on trumped-up charges.

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GREAT AFRICAN FILMS VOL.2:
TASUMA THE FIGHTER & SIA, DREAM OF THE PYTHON
Tasuma the Fighter directed by Daniel Kollo Sanou, 2003
Sia the Dream of the Python directed by Dani Kouyate, 2001

Tasuma the Fighter offers a comic view of the impact of western colonialism. Retired from the French army, West African native Sogo waits patiently for his pension so that he can finance his grain mill. When the pension does not come, he and the village women take matters into their own hands. Sia, the Dream of the Python is a modern adaptation of a seventh-century African legend. A poor village, desperate for prosperity, decides it must make a human sacrifice to a mystical snake god to guarantee a better future

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GREAT AFRICAN FILMS VOL.3:
DARATT & THE DESERT ARK
Daratt directed by Mahamat-Salhe Haroun, 2006
The Desert Ark directed by Mohamed Chouikh, 1997

Daratt, aka Dry Season, is a moody, fable-like drama set in postwar Chad. With only three characters and minimal dialogue, awardwinning director Mahamat-Salhe Haroun offers a heart-wrenching reflection on injustice and revenge. The Desert Ark is a version of Romeo and Juliet set in an oasis in the Algerian desert. When Amin and Myriam are caught kissing in the dunes, deep-seated religious rivalries are stirred up in their small community.

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MALUNDE
Directed by Stephanie Sycholt, 2001

Set in the new South Africa, this odd couple road movie follows two forgotten souls who find each other. Wonderboy, a homeless young black boy, and Kobus, a white, middle-aged, former Apartheid-era soldier, cross paths when the boy takes refuge in the elder's van.

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MASAI: THE RAIN WARRIORS
Directed by Leopoldo Pascal Plisson, 2005

This arrestingly beautiful adventure shot on the savannahs of Kenya depicts a community's quest to bring rain to their land and ensure their survival. A band of very young Masai warriors sets out to kill a mystical lion to end a drought that is plaguing their village. In Maa with English subtitles.

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MILKING THE RHINO
Directed by David E. Simpson, 2009

A ferocious kill on the Serengeti... warnings about endangered species. These clichés of nature documentaries make the mistake of ignoring the villagers who live in Africa and navigate the dangers and costs of living with wildlife. Two of the world's oldest cattle-cultures — the Masai and the Himba — have suffered from the conservation efforts forced on them by whites. This hard-hitting documentary chronicles recent efforts by villagers to embrace ecotourism, which focuses on community-based conservation that balances the needs of the people and the wildlife.

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