Contemporary Cinema of Africa and the Diaspora

Analyzing art house films from the African continent and the African diaspora, this book showcases a new generation of auteurs with African origins from political, aesthetic, and spectatorship perspectives. Focuses on art house cinema and discusses commercial African cinema Enlarges our understanding of African film to include thematic and aesthetic influence Highlights aesthetic and political aspects including racial identity, women’s issues, and diaspora Heavily illustrated with over 90 film stills Features selected stills integral to the filmic analysis in full color Moves beyond Western-oriented analytical paradigms

Acknowledgments ix 1 AfricaWatch: Parameters and Contexts 1 Part I Space 33 2 The Postcolonial City: Education of the Spectator in Harrikrisna Anenden's The Cathedral 35 3 Framing the City: Africanizing Viewer and Viewed through Angle, Distance, Genre, and Movement 55 Part II Character 77 4 Models of African Femininity 79 5 African Masculinity: "We Don't Need Another Hero" 113 6 Revolutionary Personhood: Revolutionize the Spectator, or Stop,Thief! 133 Part III Narrative 155 7 Documentary Film: Situating a Style 157 8 African Narration: Narration of Africa 172 9 Jean-Marie Teno: Creating an African Repertoire 187 10 Conclusion: Inside/Outside or How to Make a Film about Africa Today 216 Filmography 234 References 238 Glossary 246 Index 251