'From Africa, With Love' is presented by the UK African Film Festivals (Africa in Motion Film Festival, Afrika Eye, Cambridge African Film Festival, Film Africa, Watch Africa Film Festival), part of BFI LOVE bfi.org.uk/love, in partnership with Plusnet.
With films to fall in love with, and films to break your heart, this eclectic programme of African Love films will be presented in three strands:
• Love in Conflict looks at love in times of adversity, dealing with the sometimes near-impossible circumstances under which love can flourish, as well as those situations in which love simply cannot overcome the odds. Films in this strand include 'Kanyekanye' (South Africa, 2013), a short about star-crossed lovers in a divided town. 'Breathe Umphefumlo' (South Africa, 2015) looks at the corporeal battle against tuberculosis in impoverished Khayelitsha.
• Romantic Views explores the cultural perceptions and interpretations of love across Africa. Religion, class, tradition and the collision with modernity are just some of the forces that define the way love is understood (and sometimes misunderstood) throughout the continent. This strand, looks at the unique place of love in African life, manifested in marriage, dowries, courting rituals and the challenges of unconventional love, includes both classics and fresh new cinema.
These include classic films, such as Djibril Diop Mambety's iconic 'Hyenas' (Senegal, 1992) and Egypt's answer to Hitchcock, 'Cairo Station' (Egypt, 1958). Other films in this strand include the beautiful 'Stories of our Lives' (2014), which explores LGBT issues Kenya, and the playful 'O Grand Kilapy' (Angola, 2012).A complete list of screenings and further information on the films can be found here.
