Africa in the Picture 2009

From 9 to 14 September, Amsterdam again hosted the Africa in the Picture film festival. During this event, movies from Africa and the African Diaspora can be seen in the Ketelhuis in Amsterdam. In the weeks preceding and following the event, some of the movies can also be viewed in other cities across the Netherlands.

I always enjoy Africa in the Picture. It allows to see movies which otherwise stay beyond your reach. Simply because you don’t know about them, but also because they are not the kind of films which are presented in the regular cinemas.

Most of the movies at Africa in the Picture are of very high quality. Good actors, good stories, artistic scenes, controversial documentaries, it is all there. Some however are of lesser quality. We can forgive low budget films, because that has its charms as well, but a documentary with a clear one-sided view? I don’t like that. Anyway, Africa in the Picture keeps your wits up and discussion going.

This year I went to see “the End of Poverty?!”. A very controversial documentary I didn’t agree with, but which seems to have been well received in America. This bias shows how well this documentary is at starting discussions and making you question the present world order. So a very successful documentary in that sense. Read more about the discussions here.

Another movie I saw was “Skin”. A very dramatic movie about a girl born in South Africa from to white parents, during Apartheid. The only problem is that her skin is quite dark. So dark that she is reclassified to white when she tries to attend boarding school. The movie is based on a true story, and the lady in question was present at the festival. It is a real dramatic story. But it is good that it is told, and certainly worth watching! So watch Skin.

Skin

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