To celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2011, the Cinémathèque Afrique de l’Institut Français is presenting the Grandes Figures des Cinémas d’Afrique et des Caraïbes exhibition, to be inaugurated at the 9th Encounters of Bamako. Pride of place has been given to images related to a programme of five films to be shown at evening performances during the professional week. The aim of the project is to bring together people from the visual worlds of photography and cinema. The exhibition features work from two photographers with intersecting perspectives, giving us a glimpse of over twenty portraits of directors and actors who have contributed to, or are still contributing to, the history of African and Caribbean cinema.
Laurent Macarie (Martinique) and Samuel Nja Kwa (Cameroon) were both eager to spotlight the emblematic generations of filmmakers and actors from the 1960s to today. Laurent Macarie visited the Festival Panafricain du Cinéma de Ouagadougou (FESPACO) and the Festival de Cannes to present black and white snaps of the great names in the continent’s cinematographic heritage. Samuel Nja Kwa uses colour and offers a topical and committed perspective focusing on the visible minorities of invisible cinema. This exhibition designed around the “sustainable world” theme will then become available for international distribution over two years. This will enable the artists to exist beyond their works and to introduce African and Caribbean cinema to a wider audience.
Cinémathèque Afrique: 50th anniversary
Laurent Macarie and Samuel Nja Kwa
