TheCable

The fourth edition of The Life House’s Lights, Camera, Africa! Film Festival is set to start screening from September 26 to October 1, Nigeria’s Independence Day.

This edition, themed Legacy and hosted exclusively by Federal Palace, will screen shorts like Beleh (2013), where a man gets to step into his wife’s shoes by experiencing pregnancy himself and Boneshaker (2012), starring 11-year-old Oscar nominee, Quvenzhané Wallis.

Other thought-provoking shorts include Ududeagu (2014), starring artiste Ade Bantu; while Joy, It’s Nina (2012) weaves together stories of African women living in the UK-based on real-life archives, including voice mails from legendary singer, Nina Simone.

The selection of films will also take you traveling in space and time with Legends of Madagascar (2012), which explores the taboos and beliefs of the insulated country; Kwaku Ananse (2013) built on a fable of the Ashanti people; and Onunaekwuluora: The Legacy Of Professor Thurstan Shaw (2014), which documents Shaw’s revelation of the rich ancient heritage of the Igbos, his stubborn insistence on retention of the artifacts dating as far back as 9AD in Nigeria, as a sacred trust for the Igbo-Ukwu and Nri people. 

The Supreme Price (2014), a highly-acclaimed documentary film that traces the Pro-Democracy Movement in Nigeria and efforts to increase the participation of women in leadership roles will encourage the audience to reconsider the nation’s past with new eyes.

Some films offer social commentary, such as Chika Anadu’s B for Boy (2013) that chronicles a woman’s desire for a son in a culture that values boys over girls; and Sexy Money (2014), about former sex workers who return to Nigeria to build new lives for themselves, with original music by the celebrated singer and activist, Nneka.

Also available are films pushing the envelope, such as Oya, the Rise of the Orisha (2014), Africa’s first superhero movie named for the Yoruba warrior goddess; and Aya of Yop City (2013), based on the hit comic book series set in the popular Abidjan neighborhood. Coz Ov Moni 2, a musical in Pidgin English filmed in Ghana and Romania, is another film to look out for.

The festival, which features dozens of other great films, will close with October 1 (2014), Kunle Afolayan’s latest opus set at a time when the country was optimistic about the possibilities of Nigeria once Nigerians got to chart their own path forward.

The Cable will definitely update you reviews and film times once the festival starts.