With recent cross-border collaborations in the movie industries, there has been a revival of interest in foreign flicks. Or at least, an interest in various stories inspired by/set abroad. Well, I would like to think that more folks are looking across borders for new ideas. After all everyone must be somewhat tired of that ugly R-word - remakes. So, after being inspired by the South Africa-based Sci-fi thriller, D-9, I decided to put together a list of movies made in Africa. Some of them are not made entirely by the movie industry of the said African country; a lot of them are joint collaborations involving European countries.
Man to Man (South Africa, France and UK)
This 2005 flick is the sad and touching story of an anthropologist who comes across pygmies in Africa. The movie sees South African movie folk joining hands with French and British movie makers and actors. The overall story is a historical drama of sorts and ponders the ethics behind the handling of certain discoveries, in this case the pygmies. This flick was directed by Régis Wargnier and stars Joseph Fiennes and Kristin Scott Thomas. Do note, this one is probably a tear-jerker.
666 (Nigeria)
I came across this Nigerian flick via Boing Boing. It's called 666 and as you can imagine, the movie is about
the devil … or his main minion. Apparently they both play an important role in this. I wouldn't exactly watch this seriously; its one of those flicks you watch for a good laugh. Think of it as a really bad version of The Bloody Pit of Horror. Actually if, you think about it, you must have a super-level of cheesiness to beat TBPoH. For me, it's not the movie quality that is disconcerting. Oh no, once you realise I sat through TBPoH, you know I have a soft spot for really bad horror flicks. What is worrying about this movie are the themes. In a lot of cases, you can brush aside the crazy theories in a movie and say, 'No one would take this seriously'. Unfortunately, judging from the Boing Boing comments, a lot of folks from Nigeria do take this storyline to heart. All the more reason to watch this flick and get some insight to other folks' superstitions.
Touki Bouki (Senegal)
This is a rather old flick from Senegal. It comes across as a rather sad, occasionally funny, movie about two hopefuls who wish to immigrate to Paris. You know, the whole 'nothing happens around here, I want to make it big' sort of tale. So, in order to achieve this dream, these two concoct plots to con folks out of their money. I suppose they figured they must make money in the easiest way possible. Much as that sounded snarky, I am not entirely dismissive of this movie. This movie borders on classic arty flicks and provides a glimpse into social situation of most African countries. The movie was directed and written by Djibril Diop Mambéty.
Les Saignantes (Cameroon and France)
Now we are talking. This is a scif-fi thriller of sorts that covers a lot of the issues prevalent in African countries. Actually, it seems like the social commentary and political statements is applicable to most countries, be it Third World or First World. Do keep in mind, this movie is going to be – or should be - R-rated because of its strong sexual themes. This means it just might be harder to find it, depending on where you live. From what I read about it on Wiki, it's about two female call-girls of sorts who are up and close and personal with the ruling folk. Then a body hits the floor in the midst of a bit of rough fun and the ladies are faced with a problem.