Film student founds festival to celebrate African cinema

Friday, May 3,1996

Forum to provide for exposure of marginalized filmsBy Dina
Gachman

Daily Bruin Staff

One year ago, graduate student N’Dine Rowe felt that something
was missing from the UCLA film program.

"I guess I’d just seen so many programs that the film school had
sponsored," says Rowe. "I really didn’t see anything that talked
about Black people or the Black experience. I thought it was an
important deficiency. I thought it was important that UCLA
recognize African cinema."

Rowe filled this void by coordinating Pan Afrikan Visions ’96,
UCLA’s first film festival devoted exclusively to films from Africa
and the Diaspora. The festival, co-sponsored by Melnitz movies and
entirely organized by students, began this Wednesday and continues
until May 8.

The movies range from the classics of early African cinema, such
as Ousmane Sembene’s "Black Girl," to the modern film "Hyenas,"
which was an official selection at last year’s Cannes Film
Festival, and closes the festival. All screenings are at Melnitz
Theater and are free of charge.

One of Rowe’s primary goals is to give Los Angeles and UCLA
students the chance to experience the beauty and cultures of
African films. Especially important, she believes, is that the
filmmakers themselves receive recognition.

"The tenacity of the filmmakers needs to be respected," she
says. "They have a unique vision, and really interesting ways of
expressing their experiences. I think that needs to be commended,
admired, and respected. It’s important for everyone to know that
(African cinema) exists and to hear other voices."

African filmmakers are rarely able to find an outlet for their
visions. Rowe says that because most African movies are made with
small budgets and are distributed independently. Their only
opportunity is to screen in theaters comes from festivals. The
festival that Rowe has created gives African films this
opportunity. She feels that to exclude African cinema from the
programs at UCLA, which boasts one of the top film archives and
schools, is a "disrespect" to both filmmakers and audiences.

"My goal was to show that African cinema is alive and thriving,"
explains Rowe. "I want to give exposure to the livelihood of
African cinema, and to give people of African descent an
opportunity to see themselves on screen, and in the pivotal roles
of production ­ writer, director, producer ­ all of them.
It’s really just encouraging and motivating."

In addition to providing audiences with the opportunities to
view the movies, Rowe hopes that as the festival gains momentum it
will incorporate more programs. Because this is the first year,
Rowe claims that the resources were limited. In the future, Pan
Afrikan Visions could incorporate panel discussions and speakers
into the festival. For now, it provides people with a "greatest
hits package" of African cinema.

Rowe and the other festival organizers decided to make the
screenings free so that anyone, especially students, able and
willing to attend the event may do so. "Now there’s no excuse (not
to go)," she says. "It’s an opportunity to see free films from far
away places and we need to take advantage of it."

If Rowe’s goals are realized, people will take advantage of the
festival. Films will screen at Melnitz throughout the weekend,
until the closing program on Wednesday, but Rowe hopes that Pan
Afrikan Vision will not stop there. She plans to continue the
festival, and encourages others after her to do the same.

"I really worked hard on this and it’s a mark I want to leave,"
she says. "As long as I’m here I’m gonna try and keep it alive.
It’s a tradition that needs to continue."

FILM: Pan Afrikan Visions ’96 Screenings at Melnitz Theater.
Through May 8th. Admission free, "hikora" (donations) accepted. For
more info call (310) 825-2345.

Ai Keita stars in "Sarrounia," one of the films to be screened
at Pan Afrikan Visions ’96.