Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television and Film Independent at LACMA announce Cameras d'Afrique: The Films of West Africa

The October film series features the U.S. premiere of Grigris, filmmakers in person, panels and free community screenings on the LMU campus

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 11, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Loyola Marymount University School of Film and Television, in partnership with Film Independent at LACMA, announces the lineup of Caméras d'Afrique: The Films of West Africa, a month-long film series focusing on the last 50 years of West African cinematic talent. Curated by Film Independent at LACMA curator Elvis Mitchell, Caméras d'Afrique runs October 3–28, 2013 and includes a diverse slate of 21 narrative and documentary films, many of which have never been screened in the U.S. The series also features panel discussions and Q&As with select filmmakers.

Caméras d'Afrique kicks off on Thursday, October 3, 2013, at LACMA with a double feature of Mahamat-Saleh Haroun's Bye Bye Africa and the U.S. premiere of Grigris, Haroun's critically acclaimed film that showed at this year's Cannes International Film Festival. Haroun will be on hand for a Q&A moderated by Mitchell.

On Saturday, October 5, the series continues at LACMA with screenings of Mama Kéïta's L'Absence (followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker) and Gaston Kaboré's Buud Yam (followed by a Q&A with the filmmaker), as well as a panel discussion moderated by Mitchell about the state of West African cinema.

Other program highlights include the L.A. premiere of Mille Soleils (A Thousand Suns), Djibril Diop Mambéty's 1973 French New Wave–inspired Touki Bouki, Idrissa Ouédraogo's 1990 Cannes Film Festival Grand Prix winner Tilaï (The Law), and the 2013 FESPACO Golden Stallion winner Tey (Today), followed by a Q&A with director Alain Gomis and star Saul Williams.

"This series brings me such joy," said film curator Elvis Mitchell. "Primarily because there's nothing more exhilarating to me than to expose people to exciting new filmmakers and films, let alone bring attention to the art of an area that deserves more attention than it's received in America. The works we're playing demonstrate that film at its best, like any other art form, is idiosyncratic and universal."

Screenings will be held throughout October at LACMA's Bing Theater on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Free community screenings and select Q&As moderated by Mitchell will take place on the Loyola Marymount University campus every Monday night.

"We are thrilled to be able to present Caméras d'Afrique: The Films of West Africa. Patrons will have the rare opportunity to see the latest films that have received accolades from the top European and African film festivals as well as classics from the past 50 years," said LMU SFTV Dean Stephen Ujlaki, adding, "Connecting our students to the rich filmography of West Africa, long a Francophone region, will expose them to different forms of storytelling, inspiring their own unique visions."

$5 for Film Independent, LACMA Film Club and The New York Times Film Club members. Members of these three groups can purchase tickets starting at 5:00 pm on Thursday, September 12. | Tickets: 323-857-6010 or online at lacma.org.

$7 for LACMA members, students with valid ID and seniors (62+); $10 for the general public. Members of these four groups can purchase tickets starting at 5:00 pm on Thursday, September 19. | Tickets: 323-857-6010 or online at lacma.org.

Reservations for free community screenings at Loyola Marymount University can be made starting at 5:00 pm on Thursday, September 19 at sftvlmu.eventbrite.com

For full program line-up please visit: sftv.lmu.edu/sftvevents/afrique

To view the video "Cameras D'Afrique: The Films of West Africa, with Curator Elvis Mitchell," click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTPOKot6sZc

About LMU SFTV
Movie industry moguls helped establish Loyola Marymount University's (LMU) current campus on the bluffs above west Los Angeles in the 1920s. By 1964, LMU was formally teaching film and television curriculum, and in 2001, the School of Film and Television (SFTV) was established as its own entity.  Today, SFTV offers students a comprehensive education where mastering technical skills and story is equally important to educating the whole person, including the formation of character and values, meaning and purpose. SFTV offers undergraduate degrees in animation, production, screenwriting, film and television studies and recording arts; and graduate degrees in production, screenwriting and writing and producing for television. The school is one of the few film programs providing students with a completely tapeless model of production and post-production, and SFTV's animation  program is one of the few worldwide that teaches virtual cinematography. Selected alumni include John Bailey, Bob Beemer, Francie Calfo, Brian Helgeland, Francis Lawrence, Lauren Montgomery, Jack Orman, Van Partible and James Wong, among others. Get more information at sftv.lmu.edu or facebook.com/lmusftv.

About Film Independent at LACMA
Film Independent at LACMA is a film series produced by Film Independent—the nonprofit arts organization that also produces the Film Independent Spirit Awards and the Los Angeles Film Festival—and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) with presenting sponsor The New York Times and premier sponsor Ovation. The Film Independent at LACMA Film Series is curated by Elvis Mitchell and assistant curator Bernardo Rondeau. The program features classic and contemporary narrative and documentary films; emerging auteurs; international showcases; special guest-curated programs, such as Jason Reitman's acclaimed Live Read series; and conversations with artists, filmmakers, and other special guests. For more information, go to filmindependent.org/lacma or lacma.org. 

SOURCE Loyola Marymount University