Cinema
During the Biennale 2021, enjoy a selection of films and documentaries on Africa and its diasporas curated by the Festival of Cultures' participating countries!
Totem and Tabous | by Daniel Cattier
An imposing palace, the Royal Museum for Central Africa in Brussels is now the Africa Museum, following renovations. A voice from Africa haunts the premises, telling of the museum’s colonial origins. The time has come to return this heritage to its rightful owners, museums in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal… Now is the time for reconciliation with the past...
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Les combattants du poil sacré | Florian Vallée
Discover this mysterious battle which has been waged since the Middle Ages. Delve into the heart of Mons, a town in the Kingdom of Belgium, where each year the locals are transformed into a wild and rowdy mob. Once the fighters step foot onto the battlefield, they will go to great lengths to snatch a few hairs from the tail of a dragon which, according to legend, will bring them good luck.
Sideline | by Joost Wynant
For every successful African football player, thousands remain in the shadows, not making it professionally, and not able to return to Africa, out of shame and fear of disappointing their families back home. They keep roaming around Europe, with no papers and no safety net...
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"The Slave Route - The Soul of Resistance" | UNESCO
In this film, the history of the trade in human beings is told through the voices of slaves, but also of slave masters and slave traders. Each one tells his or her experience: from the deportation of men and women to the plantations to the daily work and the abolition movements.
Documentary "The Tabanca" | Instituto Patrimonio Cultural
The tabanca is a sociocultural organisation, of a mutualistic nature and a ritualised, syncretic manifestation, subordinated to a patron saint, manifested essentially on the islands of Maio and Santiago in Cape Verde.
Watch a series of videos made in the context of a partnership between ethnological museums of Luanda and Berlin.
Fort Amsterdam (Sankofa Project Animation Film) | France in Ghana
The construction of a European Fort, Fort Amsterdam, on the Gold Coast (Ghana), in the 17th Century, from an architect’s perspective. Fort Amsterdam is one of the 28 Forts and Castles registered in Ghana as a World Heritage site under the UNESCO 1972 Convention for their Outstanding Universal Value. According to UNESCO: "The Castles and Forts of Ghana shaped not only Ghana’s history but that of the world over four centuries as the focus of first the gold trade and then the slave trade. They are a significant and emotive symbol of European-African encounters and of the starting point of the African Diaspora".
Animated Series | Begho, a Market Town in 16th Century West Africa | France in Ghana
A discovery of the Begho market, in West Africa, in the 16th century, through the eyes of a little girl named Kasi. Begho is a former market city, at the crossroads of several trade routes, which was occupied between the 11th and 18th centuries. As such, it is mentioned and documented in many early writings about West Africa and pre-colonial Ghana and oral tradition.
Discovering Haiti (Short Film) | The most beautiful places in Haiti
The perfect collaboration among some influential public figures to make a touristic video that showcases the most beautiful places in Haiti and to encourage tourists to visit and travel to Haiti. "This is Haiti"...They all have a common purpose which is to promote the hidden beauty of Haiti; the side that most medias don't emphasize on.
Listen to Her (Short Film)
The 'Listen to Her' film, supported by UNESCO, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNICEF and the South Asia Foundation (Mandanjeet Singh Foundation) creatively confronts issues that many women are grappling with during the COVID-19 pandemic in India, including an unprecedented increase in their workload and, at times, domestic violence, providing insights to strengthen engagement and a highlight solutions including helplines.
H2oooh!- UNESCO's #waterwise programme for students in India
UNESCO launched this programme across India to create water conservation awareness, in partnership with the National Mission for Clean Ganga, the United Schools Organization (USO), Water Digest and India-based global animation organisation Toonz Media Group. The initiative encouraged school students aged between 6 and 14 years of age to submit story ideas for animated short films to raise awareness on water conservation and its sustainable use.
NBC Documentary | Namibian Heritage Week
The documentary was filmed by the Namibian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) for Namibian Heritage Week 2020 and discusses the importance of heritage and culture in relation to tourism, sustainability, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the sector.
"Pele escura" | "Dark Skin" | Graça Castanheira
Six black friends from different places on the outskirts of Lisbon – Porto Brandão and Cacém – decide to travel to the Centro Cultural de Belém to watch a show. Observing each of their journeys in turn, we discover what they think and feel as they make their way to the city – or Lisa, as they call it. A reflection on the centre and the periphery, blacks and whites, racism and inclusion.
"Um mar de lixo" | "A Sea of Trash" by Tânia Paiva e Tiago Mendes dos Santos
Plastic bottles, cotton buds, fishing nets, fluorescent light bulbs, yoghurt containers and much, much more. The Sea Brigade has been doing for 11 years what is considered the largest beach cleaning action in the country. The beach where we lay our towels and the beaches we choose to spend our holidays are full of rubbish and only have less waste in the summer months, because the Sea Brigade goes into action while the majority of the country still only dreams of sunny days and bathing in the sea.
Núcleo de Imprensa de Lousada | Documentary
Documentary film developed by Dalmática with the Municipality of Lousada, in order to preserve the legacy of the Press for future generations.
Um mural protegido pelos anjos | Documentary
Documentary film about the work of the Portuguese company Dalmática in Panama focusing on the discovery and conservation of the Cathedral's mural painting.
7 Senegalese World Heritage Sites seen by Layepro
The seven World Heritage sites in Senegal as seen through the eyes of talented Senegalese filmmaker, Layepro.
In 2016, the UNESCO office in Dakar invited the Senegalese photographer Layepro to make an original journey through Senegal to share his vision of the 7 Senegalese sites inscribed on the World Heritage List.
Martha & Niki | Street Dance
In 2010 Martha Nabwire and Niki Tsappos took part in the biggest international Street Dance Competition, Juste Debout in Paris. It was the first time ever two women became World Champions in Hip Hop. This film depicts their love of dance, each other and about friendship put to the test. About desires, yearning and finding the right path in life.
Documentary
Gender based violence experiences of women and girls with disabilities in Zimbabwe.
Disclaimer
The ideas and opinions expressed on this page are those of the countries; they do not necessarily represent the views of UNESCO and the Organization hereby declines all liability. The designation employed and the presentation of material throughout the National Pavilion or this webpage do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Organization, concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area of its authorities, or concerning its frontiers or boundaries.
