This festival of work by black artists from around the world runs Friday, August 5, through Wednesday, August 31, at the Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State. Unless otherwise noted, tickets are $9, $5 for Film Center members; for more information call 312-846-2800. Following is the schedule for August 5 through 11; a complete festival schedule is available online at www.chicagoreader.com.
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Zalika Souley, Niger’s first female movie star, is the focus of this 2004 documentary, a study of the rise and decline of the West African nation’s independent cinema. Director Rahmatou Keita tracks Souley’s career from her breakthrough in a western through the femme fatale roles that led to her being rejected by conservative Muslim audiences, who equated her with her characters. Souley was eventually forced to retire; now in her 50s and the mother of four children, she’s all but forgotten. In French, Songhoy, Hausa, and Zarma with subtitles. 69 min. Also on the program: Marie-Francoise Theodore’s 13-minute short Rebel in the Soul. Both will be screened in Beta SP. (AG) (Sat 8/6, 5:30 PM; Tue 8/9, 6 PM)
Like Alexander McKendrick’s A Boy Ten Feet Tall (1963), this moving 2003 coming-of-age story follows an orphan who sets off alone across Africa in search of a relative living in the big city. After seeing his family decimated by a “curse” no shaman can lift, an eight-year-old Zulu (Junior Singo) heads for Johannesburg as AIDS sweeps the countryside, its spread abetted by ignorance and indifference. Cinematographer Lance Gewer’s wide-screen visuals are a knockout, and the impressive cast delivers; David Hickson directed. In English and subtitled Zulu. 113 min. (AG) (Fri 8/5, 6 PM; Tue 8/9, 7:45 PM)
Shouting Silent
