Aug. 22
The Ancestors Live – 50 Years of Kùlú Mèlé African Dance & Drum Ensemble
From their Philadelphia basement, a place of history and magic, Baba Wilkie and Mama Dottie recall 50 years of dedication to culture. Meanwhile, Kùlú Mèlé travels to Cuba and back creating Ogun & the People, a timely Yoruba parable presented in movement, music and song.
World Premiere
46 min.
Screens with:
Afrikan Space Program Forever
6 mins, United States, 2020
The Ras G music festival was held in Leimert Park on August 10, 2019, as a loving tribute to a community champion, musical genius, and visionary, Gregory Shorter – aka Ras G. The super 8 film was eco-processed by hand with flowers, coffee, and berbere at the Echo Park Film Center by the director.
World Premiere
As Above
12 mins, United States, 2019
…. When your Earth Plane feels a strong sense of pull, setting in motion an enigmatic chase thru a maze of dimensional time… sparking an orgasm into enlightenment…
Philadelphia Premiere
Braiding & Singing (a point)
6 mins, United States, 2020
This film considers the subversive modes of transmission that Black women have engaged in, braiding rice and seeds into the hair of loved ones before separation, ensuring the promise of future sustenance tethered to a past. In line with these magical realist practices, the film takes as a point of departure the architecture in the quilts of Gees Bend.
Philadelphia Premiere