Africa Challenge (Official, February 2020)

[Mario Gaborović]

6. Chappie (2015) - South Africa
7. Atlantique (2019) - Senegal

Spoiler

1. Debbas (2014) - Eritrea
2. Kandisha (2008) - Morocco
3. Jerusalema (2008) - South Africa
4. Zambezia (2012) - South Africa
5. You Must Be Joking! (1986) - South Africa

[morrison-dylan-fan]

FTV:2:Dôlè (2000) 8 (Gabon.)




Backed by a blissful score from Emile Mepango and Francois Ngwa, writer/director Imunga Ivanga makes a excellent, rustic debut, as Ngwa & cinematographer Dominique Fausset walk with Mougler and his friends/gang in stylish dusty yellow, rubbing up to the side-street, petty level of crime they engage in. Eyeing a lottery kiosk as the target to wealth, Ngwa lays out the winning numbers with excellent dissolves on the robbery planning, rushing into frantic, fluid whip-pans sweeping up the dropped loose change.

Standing out like a mirage,the screenplay by Ivanga cleverly presents the lottery kiosk as the symbol to the locals as the lone way to get out of poverty, even with the awareness that the odds have been stacked to such a degree to make it near impossible for anyone to escape. Sinking all the chances in a mesmerizing final shot, Ivanga gives one person the winning ticket, and folds it into not leading to the expected riches, but tragedy on the dole.

[blocho]

Necause of my health can't read subtitles at the moment. That's why I didn't score in the Balkan challenge.

"Thankfully", some of these used to be english colonies, so they still speak english. But outside of South Africa. do any of them actually make movies in english?
I have been in Tanzania but couldn't really find any local movies in the stores there (a lot from India though). And of course we have Nollywood, but the quality is so close to soap that I'll probably stay away.

So outside of South Africa and Nigeria, is there any?

Neria, which is Zimbabwean, is in English:

[morrison-dylan-fan]

FTV:3:Ashes of Dreams (2011) (Comoros) 7.

First IMDb review for the film.



Splicing home video footage of her late dad with a returning journey to the four islands of Comoros, writer/director Hachimiya Ahamada brings a thoughtful, spiritual atmosphere to the trip her dad had dreamt she would make, as Ahamada visits each island, and with intimate, coiled panning shots follows the daily routines of the locals. With her dad being buried at Dunkirk and the Comoros having gotten independence from France, Ahamada breaks the dream with discussions from the locals on their frustrations/anger over the lack of support France has given to its former colony, where Ahamada explores dreams of her past family life.

[jeroeno]

03. Al-khoroug lel-nahar (Egypt, 2012)
04. Mille Mois (Morocco, 2003)

[cinephage]

01. Ceddo, by Ousmane Sembene (1977) 7/10 Senegal

A little too slow to start, but the story and approach are very rich and the final scene is fantastic.

[sol]

Nowhere in Africa

1. Neria (1991) Zimbabwe
2. Spud (2010) South Africa
3. Flame (1996) Zimbabwe
4. Hyenas (1992) Senegal
5. Yeelen (1987) Mali

6. Spud 2 (2013) South Africa



The content is not quite as fresh this time round and there is no touching subplot with a closeted albino student, however, this is nicely less focused on girls inexplicably throwing themselves on the protagonist and the comedic shenanigans are arguably more memorable. The title character's parents come off as even more kooky this time too, though all the background stuff with Mandela and apartheid laws still feels weirdly neglected.

[jdidaco]

(Screenshot/Gif from 'Alyam, alyam' & 'Atlantique'),



11. Alyam, alyam (Oh the Days!, Ahmed El Maanouni, 1978) 9/10 (Morocco)
12. A Deusa Negra (Black Goddess, Ola Balogun, 1979) 8/10 (Nigeria)
13. La zerda ou Les chants de l'oubli (The Zerda and the Songs of Forgetting, Assia Djebbar, 1983) 8.5/10 (Algeria)
14. Washmun 'Ala al-Dhakira/Champagne amer (Secret Obsession, Ridha Behi, 1986-89) 7/10 (Tunisia)
15. Femmes aux yeux ouverts (Women with Open Eyes, Anne-Laure Folly, 1994) 7.5/10 (Togo)
16. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (Anthony Minghella, 2008) 8/10 (Botswana)
17. Who Killed Captain Alex? (Nabwana I.G.G., 2010) 5/10 (Uganda)
18. Parfum de Printemps (Sweet Smell of Spring, Férid Boughedir, 2016) 7.5/10 (Tunisia)
19. Spell Reel (Filipa César, 2017) 8/10 (Guinea-Bissau)
20. Atlantique (Atlantics, Mati Diop, 2019) 8.5/10 (Senegal)

Spoiler

1. Wechma (Traces, Hamid Benani, 1971) 10/10 (Morocco)
2. Saitane (Satan, Oumarou Ganda, 1973) 7/10 (Niger)
3. West Indies (Med Hondo, 1979) 8.5/10 (Mauritania)
4. Trésors des poubelles (Treasures from the Trash, Samba Félix Ndiaye, 1989) 8/10 (Senegal)
5. Rue Princesse (Henri Duparc, 1994) 7/10 (Côte d'Ivoire)
6. Waqa'i maghribia/Chroniques marocaines (Moroccan Chronicles, Moumen Smihi, 1999) 8/10 (Morocco)
7. Akounak tedalat taha tazoughai (Rain the Color of Blue with a Little Red in It, Christopher Kirkley, 2015) 7.5/10 (Niger)
8. Djon África (João Miller Guerra & Filipa Reis, 2018) 7.5/10 (Cape Verde)
9-10. La bague du roi Koda (King Koda's Ring, Moustapha Alassane, 1962) 7/10 (24 min) (Niger), Aouré (Wedding Marriage, Moustapha Alassane, 1962) 7.5/10 (21 min) (Niger), Les pierres bleues du désert (The Blue Stones of the Desert, Nabil Ayouch, 1992) 6.5/10 (21 min) (Morocco), Minka (Muhammad Camara, 1994) 7/10 (28 min) (Guinea), Chop My Money (Theo Anthony, 2014) 6/10 (13 min) (Democratic Republic Of Congo), Zombies (Baloji, 2019) 8/10 (15 min) (Democratic Republic Of Congo) (Total: 122 min)

[sol]

Nowhere in Africa

1. Neria (1991) Zimbabwe
2. Spud (2010) South Africa
3. Flame (1996) Zimbabwe
4. Hyenas (1992) Senegal
5. Yeelen (1987) Mali
6. Spud 2 (2013) South Africa

7. Spud 3 (2014) South Africa



Third in a franchise that never exactly begged for one let alone two sequels, this comedy struggles to add anything new. The protagonist once again does something to fall out of favour with his peers, once again has to win back their support, once against asks the Guv for advice and once again has trouble fending off overly flirtatious girls. This entry also reduces the Guv to a caricature though with a silly in-love subplot. Nice ending though.

[blueboybob]

9. [Ethiopia] Teza (2008)
10. [Burkina Faso] Buud Yam (1997)

[Mario Gaborović]

08. Niaye (1964) + Et la neige n'était plus (1966) + Petite lumière (2003) - Senegal
09. Poko (1981) + Les écuelles (1983) + Issa le tisserand (1985) + Ouagadougou, ouaga deux roues (1985) - Burkina Faso
10. Bad Black (2016) - Uganda

Spoiler

01. Debbas (2014) - Eritrea
02. Kandisha (2008) - Morocco
03. Jerusalema (2008) - South Africa
04. Zambezia (2012) - South Africa
05. You Must Be Joking! (1986) - South Africa
06. Chappie (2015) - South Africa
07. Atlantique (2019) - Senegal

[blocho]

16. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (Anthony Minghella, 2008) 8/10 (Botswana)

Is this the entire series or just the first episode? If it's the entire series, it counts as 7 points.

[blueboybob]

11. [Côte d'Ivoire] Au nom du Christ (1993)

[blocho]

3. The Blue Eyes of Yonta (Guinea-Bissau, 1992)
There are some compelling themes and story elements here: a love triangle, how economic reality conflicts with post-revolutionary idealism. But the narrative drifts along so aimlessly that there is no real impact.

[blueboybob]

12. [ Libya | Morocco | Egypt] Al-risâlah (1976)
13. [Egypt] Al-massir (1997)

[jdidaco]

16. The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (Anthony Minghella, 2008) 8/10 (Botswana)

Is this the entire series or just the first episode? If it's the entire series, it counts as 7 points.

Just the pilot, which was released as a feature film. A warm, funny, intelligent little film; wouldn't mind watching the subsequent episodes, since not only the delicious characters and the Botswanan spice, vistas and culture have a lot yet to offer, a few of them were helmed by a director I'm quite fond of, Charles Sturridge.

[blocho]

Summary: The First 10 Days

Welcome to a statistical summary of the challenge thus far. I'll also deliver a 20-day summary and an end-of-challenge summary.

Headline Stats
We have 12 participants thus far, with a cumulative total of 68 points. That works out to a mean score of 5.7 points and a median of 3.5 points. Jdidaco leads the main challenge with 20 points, followed closely by blueboybob with 13 points and Mario Gaborovic a bit further back at 10 points.

Bonus Challenge #1: Travel the Continent
Jdidaco, unsurprisingly, is leading this challenge, having visited 15 countries. Blueboybob is second with 9 countries, and Mario Gaborovic third with 6 countries. Overall, participants have seen movies from 29 of the 57 eligible countries/territories. South Africa is the most popular country with 8 points, while Senegal is second with 7 and Morocco is third with 5 (not including shorts).

Bonus Challenge #2 - Individual Country Champions
No one has yet reached the five-point minimum to qualify for this challenge.

Years
Participants have watched movies ranging from 1966 to 2019. The most popular movie year so far is 2008 with 4 movies (not counting shorts). The median year is 1996 and six months. Here's the breakdown by decade:
1960s (1 movie)
1970s (10 movies)
1980s (13 movies)
1990s (12 movies)
2000s (8 movies)
2010s (20 movies)

[Cinepolis]

5. Remparts d'argile (1970, Algeria) - 6/10
Slow start, nice camerawork and ending.

Spoiler

1. Mueda, Memoria e Massacre (1981, Mozambique) - 6/10
2. La Vie Est Belle (1987, Zaire/DRC) - 6/10
3. Allah Tantou (1992, Guinea) - 8/10
4. Sarraounia (1986, Mauritania) - 8/10
5. Remparts d'argile (1970, Algeria) - 6/10

[blueboybob]

14. [Burkina Faso] Yam Daabo (1987)
15. [Egypt] El azima (1939)
16. [Egypt] Marcides (1993)


I foudn this list if it helps anyone -- https://www.icheckmovies.com/lists/offi ... altoplists

[jeroeno]

05. I Am Not A Witch (Zambia, 2017)

[blueboybob]

17. [Egypt] Al-ard (1970)
18. [Egypt] Bidaya wa nihaya (1960)
19. [Egypt] Al-boustaguy (1968)

[Mario Gaborović]

11. De Voortrekkers (1916) - South Africa
12. Rise and Fall of Idi Amin (1981) - Kenya

Spoiler

01. Debbas (2014) - Eritrea
02. Kandisha (2008) - Morocco
03. Jerusalema (2008) - South Africa
04. Zambezia (2012) - South Africa
05. You Must Be Joking! (1986) - South Africa
06. Chappie (2015) - South Africa
07. Atlantique (2019) - Senegal
08. Niaye (1964) + Et la neige n'était plus (1966) + Petite lumière (2003) - Senegal
09. Poko (1981) + Les écuelles (1983) + Issa le tisserand (1985) + Ouagadougou, ouaga deux roues (1985) - Burkina Faso
10. Bad Black (2016) - Uganda

[blueboybob]

20. [Egypt] Hayat ou maut (1955)

[peeptoad]

2. La noire de... (1966) Black Girl 7 Senegal

Spoiler

1. The Blue Elephant (2014) 8 Egypt

[Mario Gaborović]

13. Zohra (1922) + La fille de Carthage (1924) + Obsession (2010) + L'Mrayet (2012)* + Boulawled (2014) - Tunisia
14. Bisanvil (2005) + La rencontre (2012) + Project 51 (2015) + The Chain: Mauritius (2016) + Infinity (2019) - Mauritius
15. Looking for Iilonga (2011) + Dead River (2012) + Another Sunny Day (2017) + Oom Land (2017) - Namibia

Spoiler

01. Debbas (2014) - Eritrea
02. Kandisha (2008) - Morocco
03. Jerusalema (2008) - South Africa
04. Zambezia (2012) - South Africa
05. You Must Be Joking! (1986) - South Africa
06. Chappie (2015) - South Africa
07. Atlantique (2019) - Senegal
08. Niaye (1964) + Et la neige n'était plus (1966) + Petite lumière (2003) - Senegal
09. Poko (1981) + Les écuelles (1983) + Issa le tisserand (1985) + Ouagadougou, ouaga deux roues (1985) - Burkina Faso
10. Bad Black (2016) - Uganda
11. De Voortrekkers (1916) - South Africa
12. Rise and Fall of Idi Amin (1981) - Kenya

*not on IMDb

[sol]

Overall, participants have seen movies from 29 of the 57 eligible countries/territories. South Africa is the most popular country with 8 points, while Senegal is second with 8 and Morocco is third with 5 (not including shorts).

Thanks for the stats! A couple of quick things:

Either South Africa had more than 8 or Senegal had less than 8 when you tallied the results. Looks like a typo there.

29 out of 57 is pretty amazing considering that we are less than halfway through. Could you post a list of countries not yet visited? With some I could possibly post suggestions of what others can view (I'm thinking Western Sahara in particular), and I'm sure others could likewise in order that we can collectively conquer travel the whole continent.

[sol]

Nowhere in Africa

1. Neria (1991) Zimbabwe
2. Spud (2010) South Africa
3. Flame (1996) Zimbabwe
4. Hyenas (1992) Senegal
5. Yeelen (1987) Mali
6. Spud 2 (2013) South Africa
7. Spud 3 (2014) South Africa

8. The CEO (2016) Nigeria



Invited to a team-building retreat at an isolated resort, candidates for a prestigious CEO position begin to suspect that there is something sinister afoot in this Nigerian thriller. The activities that they are made to participate in are fascinatingly weird - most notably multiple games of musical chairs. The film never quite builds up a real sense of paranoia with limited music etc., but this is a neat hyperbolic look at the mental strain of applying for a job.

[blueboybob]

21. [Egypt|Algeria] Iskanderija... lih? (1979)
22. [Côte d'Ivoire] Bal poussière (1989)

[Cinepolis]

6. Touki-Bouki (1973, Senegal) - 7/10
Starts off hard to follow, but once I got engaged in the story, the movie became much more entertaining. With some humor and beautiful cinematography.

Spoiler

1. Mueda, Memoria e Massacre (1981, Mozambique) - 6/10
2. La Vie Est Belle (1987, Zaire/DRC) - 6/10
3. Allah Tantou (1992, Guinea) - 8/10
4. Sarraounia (1986, Mauritania) - 8/10
5. Remparts d'argile (1970, Algeria) - 6/10
6. Touki-Bouki (1973, Senegal) - 7/10

[blueboybob]

23. [Egypt|Algeria] Al-asfour (1972)

[blocho]

Overall, participants have seen movies from 29 of the 57 eligible countries/territories. South Africa is the most popular country with 8 points, while Senegal is second with 8 and Morocco is third with 5 (not including shorts).

Thanks for the stats! A couple of quick things:

Either South Africa had more than 8 or Senegal had less than 8 when you tallied the results. Looks like a typo there.

29 out of 57 is pretty amazing considering that we are less than halfway through. Could you post a list of countries not yet visited? With some I could possibly post suggestions of what others can view (I'm thinking Western Sahara in particular), and I'm sure others could likewise in order that we can collectively conquer travel the whole continent.

Good catch on the typo. Senegal had 7, will fix. I will post a list of countries not visited once I get home from work (I have the spreadsheet on my home computer).

And props for eschewing the old "conquer" terminology! Our exploits are determinedly non-imperialistic. Cecil Rhodes can go suck on an egg.

[blocho]

As requested, here are the countries/territories that have not yet been visited:

Spoiler

Angola
Benin
Burundi
CAR
Republic of Congo
Djibouti
Equatorial Guinea
Eswatini
Gambia
Ghana
Lesotho
Liberia
Madagascar
Malawi
Mayotte
Reunion
Rwanda
Sao Tome and Principe
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Somalia
South Sudan
Sudan
Tanzania
Western Sahara

[Mario Gaborović]

16. Lionheart (2018) - Nigeria

Spoiler

01. Debbas (2014) - Eritrea
02. Kandisha (2008) - Morocco
03. Jerusalema (2008) - South Africa
04. Zambezia (2012) - South Africa
05. You Must Be Joking! (1986) - South Africa
06. Chappie (2015) - South Africa
07. Atlantique (2019) - Senegal
08. Niaye (1964) + Et la neige n'était plus (1966) + Petite lumière (2003) - Senegal
09. Poko (1981) + Les écuelles (1983) + Issa le tisserand (1985) + Ouagadougou, ouaga deux roues (1985) - Burkina Faso
10. Bad Black (2016) - Uganda
11. De Voortrekkers (1916) - South Africa
12. Rise and Fall of Idi Amin (1981) - Kenya
13. Zohra (1922) + La fille de Carthage (1924) + Obsession (2010) + L'Mrayet (2012)* + Boulawled (2014) - Tunisia
14. Bisanvil (2005) + La rencontre (2012) + Project 51 (2015) + The Chain: Mauritius (2016) + Infinity (2019) - Mauritius
15. Looking for Iilonga (2011) + Dead River (2012) + Another Sunny Day (2017) + Oom Land (2017) - Namibia

*not on IMDb

[hurluberlu]

1. Atlantics / Atlantique (Mati Diop, 2019) [Senegal] 7

[sol]

As requested, here are the countries/territories that have not yet been visited:

Spoiler

Angola
Benin
Burundi
CAR
Republic of Congo
Djibouti
Equatorial Guinea
Eswatini
Gambia
Ghana
Lesotho
Liberia
Madagascar
Malawi
Mayotte
Reunion
Rwanda
Sao Tome and Principe
Seychelles
Sierra Leone
Somalia
South Sudan
Sudan
Tanzania
Western Sahara

Interesting list. I'm surprised to see Ghana there. It seems to have a larger cinematic output than most African nations and you're even promoting Heritage Africa in the OP. I have a couple of unseen films from Ghana lined up, though no idea if I'll get time for them.

Of the other territories, I have leftover films from Malawi and Somalia that I didn't get around to watching in the Travel the World Challenge. I'll see how I go with knocking off those and some of the rest, but this isn't my focus challenge this month and I think jd is going for all 57 territories as it is.

By the way, I would recommend Life is Waiting from Western Sahara for those interested. Very informative documentary about the disputed territory, told from the POV of the indigenous people of the area.

[sol]

Nowhere in Africa

1. Neria (1991) Zimbabwe
2. Spud (2010) South Africa
3. Flame (1996) Zimbabwe
4. Hyenas (1992) Senegal
5. Yeelen (1987) Mali
6. Spud 2 (2013) South Africa
7. Spud 3 (2014) South Africa
8. The CEO (2016) Nigeria

9. Wend Kuuni (1982) Burkina Faso



This Burkinabè drama has an intriguing premise and the first few scenes are superb as the young protagonist bonds with his adoptive family. The final scenes are potent too as he processes his trauma after memories flood back. The middle stretch of the film is, however, a lot less interesting, mostly spent on him performing menial farming duties as he grows accustomed to his new life. The actress who plays his adoptive sister is great though.

[Mario Gaborović]

By the way, I would recommend Life is Waiting from Western Sahara for those interested. Very informative documentary about the disputed territory, told from the POV of the indigenous people of the area.

Where to watch?

You can tick off Mayotte is you know French, as their first-ever feature (Les djinns, 2017) is free online. It's yet to be added on IMDb however.

Spoiler

[sol]

By the way, I would recommend Life is Waiting from Western Sahara for those interested. Very informative documentary about the disputed territory, told from the POV of the indigenous people of the area.

Where to watch?

You can tick off Mayotte is you know French, as their first-ever feature (Les djinns, 2017) is free online. It's yet to be added on IMDb however.

I was able to rent Life is Waiting through YouTube, though no idea if it is licensed to be watched in all territories.

I did some French in high school, but I'm certainly not fluent enough to be able to follow normal speed conversations.

[Mario Gaborović]

17. Abuse (2008) + Bigger Plans (2008) + Home Free (2009) + Pigfoot (2010) + The Return of Old Man Kabura (2010) - Burundi

Spoiler

01. Debbas (2014) - Eritrea
02. Kandisha (2008) - Morocco
03. Jerusalema (2008) - South Africa
04. Zambezia (2012) - South Africa
05. You Must Be Joking! (1986) - South Africa
06. Chappie (2015) - South Africa
07. Atlantique (2019) - Senegal
08. Niaye (1964) + Et la neige n'était plus (1966) + Petite lumière (2003) - Senegal
09. Poko (1981) + Les écuelles (1983) + Issa le tisserand (1985) + Ouagadougou, ouaga deux roues (1985) - Burkina Faso
10. Bad Black (2016) - Uganda
11. De Voortrekkers (1916) - South Africa
12. Rise and Fall of Idi Amin (1981) - Kenya
13. Zohra (1922) + La fille de Carthage (1924) + Obsession (2010) + L'Mrayet (2012)* + Boulawled (2014) - Tunisia
14. Bisanvil (2005) + La rencontre (2012) + Project 51 (2015) + The Chain: Mauritius (2016) + Infinity (2019) - Mauritius
15. Looking for Iilonga (2011) + Dead River (2012) + Another Sunny Day (2017) + Oom Land (2017) - Namibia
16. Lionheart (2018) - Nigeria

*not on IMDb

[sol]

Nowhere in Africa

1. Neria (1991) Zimbabwe
2. Spud (2010) South Africa
3. Flame (1996) Zimbabwe
4. Hyenas (1992) Senegal
5. Yeelen (1987) Mali
6. Spud 2 (2013) South Africa
7. Spud 3 (2014) South Africa
8. The CEO (2016) Nigeria
9. Wend Kuuni (1982) Burkina Faso

10. Buud Yam (1997) Burkina Faso



The grown-up protagonist of Wend Kuuni journeys across Africa to find a cure in this sequel to the Burkinabè classic. Tackling a larger canvas (more locations, more characters), this is curious stuff. The protagonist is less interesting though as a mature adult rather than as a mysterious child, the sister barely has anything to do here and the film also throws some incredulous coincidences into the mix. This is okay but far inferior to the original.