If you're serious about cinema, you probably like watching films that don't subscribe to traditional Hollywood standards. European, Latin American, Australian and Asian movies have long been entertaining film buffs. Those in the know, however, are adding to their DVD collections with African movies for sale.
Africa is not quite the backward continent that many people in the developed world perceive it to be. Of course there is dire poverty and underdevelopment, but there are also huge, modern cities and a vibrant arts scene. Film-makers from Cape Town to Cairo are showing that the continent has many stories to tell and can do it through modern media like cinema instead of relying on oral history by the fireside.
Generally Africa's film-makers focus less on the commercial aspects of their craft than their Hollywood counterparts do. The result is that they often tackle serious themes that would not necessarily be box-office hits. The realities of life in Africa include the after-effects of slavery and colonialism, racism and exploitation, poverty and how to modernize without losing all traditions.
One of the first films from Africa to garner international recognition was 'La Noire de...' or 'Black Girl'. This 1966 film by Senegalese director Ousmane Sembene tells a tale that is still a favorite subject for film-makers: that of trying to survive in the African Diaspora. It relates the journey of a Senegalese woman who moves to France in search of a better life, only to find that the urban jungles of the First World are tougher to survive in than a wilderness filled with lions and elephants.
Gender and the particular issues that women face are the themes for several films from Africa. An example is 'Neria', made in 1993 in Zimbabwe and telling the story of a widowed woman's struggle. 'Yesterday' shows how a woman deals with the news that her migrant-worker husband gave her AIDS. The Zulu-language film was nominated for an Academy Award in 2004.
'The Silences of the Palace', directed by Tunisia's Moufida Tlatli in 1994, was ground-breaking because it was the first full feature film in the Arab world to be directed by a woman. Tlatli also paved the way for other woman directors from Africa. One of these is Angola's Maria Joao Ganga, whose 'Na Cidade Vazia' or 'Hollow City' from 2004 received several international awards.
While much of Africa's cinematic output tackles serious themes, there is one particular industry that focuses on entertainment. Nollywood is Nigeria's movie industry and is bigger than Hollywood, releasing about 200 films every month. Most of these are straight-to-video productions and entertainingly bad, but there are also quality productions like 'The Amazing Grace' by Jeta Amata.
Commercial success for cinema from the continent is rare, but 'District 9', a science-fiction film from South Africa, showed in 2009 that there are exceptions to the rule. During its opening weekend in the USA, it grossed more than any other at the box office in that country, proving that serious issues can be tackled in ways that fill movie theaters too. This is probably one of the most famous African movies for sale, but you can order hundreds of others online.
Africa is not quite the backward continent that many people in the developed world perceive it to be. Of course there is dire poverty and underdevelopment, but there are also huge, modern cities and a vibrant arts scene. Film-makers from Cape Town to Cairo are showing that the continent has many stories to tell and can do it through modern media like cinema instead of relying on oral history by the fireside.
Generally Africa's film-makers focus less on the commercial aspects of their craft than their Hollywood counterparts do. The result is that they often tackle serious themes that would not necessarily be box-office hits. The realities of life in Africa include the after-effects of slavery and colonialism, racism and exploitation, poverty and how to modernize without losing all traditions.
One of the first films from Africa to garner international recognition was 'La Noire de...' or 'Black Girl'. This 1966 film by Senegalese director Ousmane Sembene tells a tale that is still a favorite subject for film-makers: that of trying to survive in the African Diaspora. It relates the journey of a Senegalese woman who moves to France in search of a better life, only to find that the urban jungles of the First World are tougher to survive in than a wilderness filled with lions and elephants.
Gender and the particular issues that women face are the themes for several films from Africa. An example is 'Neria', made in 1993 in Zimbabwe and telling the story of a widowed woman's struggle. 'Yesterday' shows how a woman deals with the news that her migrant-worker husband gave her AIDS. The Zulu-language film was nominated for an Academy Award in 2004.
'The Silences of the Palace', directed by Tunisia's Moufida Tlatli in 1994, was ground-breaking because it was the first full feature film in the Arab world to be directed by a woman. Tlatli also paved the way for other woman directors from Africa. One of these is Angola's Maria Joao Ganga, whose 'Na Cidade Vazia' or 'Hollow City' from 2004 received several international awards.
While much of Africa's cinematic output tackles serious themes, there is one particular industry that focuses on entertainment. Nollywood is Nigeria's movie industry and is bigger than Hollywood, releasing about 200 films every month. Most of these are straight-to-video productions and entertainingly bad, but there are also quality productions like 'The Amazing Grace' by Jeta Amata.
Commercial success for cinema from the continent is rare, but 'District 9', a science-fiction film from South Africa, showed in 2009 that there are exceptions to the rule. During its opening weekend in the USA, it grossed more than any other at the box office in that country, proving that serious issues can be tackled in ways that fill movie theaters too. This is probably one of the most famous African movies for sale, but you can order hundreds of others online.
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