When I was in university, I took a class called “The Black Image on Film”, taught by a Black female professor. At the time, I was interested in the art of filmmaking- both in consuming the visual media and in creating it, but I was a little limited by the images I kept seeing, the films that have been held up by critics and by other filmmakers as “must-watch films”. These “must-watch” films were washed in shades of white, and overwhelmingly male, and overwhelmingly Western.
Up until I took that class, I didn’t even know there were so many Black women working behind the camera, that there was such a long history of women who looked like me, crafting stories about young girl’s who could have been a younger version of me, about women who looked like my mother. Watching films like Daughters of The Dust (Julie Dash) and The Watermelon Woman (Cheryl Dunye) was like a homecoming. I was able to imagine new ways of being, to expand upon my definitions of what filmmaking could look like, what kind of stories could be told.
This Women’s month, part of the work that we have to do is imagine new ways of being, to expand the definitions of womanhood that no longer serve us, and the art we consume is a necessary part of that imagination process. We’ve compiled a list of some films by African women that can help aid you in that process, and serve the other needs that art can serve: to hold difficult feelings, to entertain, to stimulate our ability to empathize with others. We hope these films will keep you good company, this month and beyond.
Atlantique ( 2019) – Mati Diop
Mati Diop is a director of Senegalese descent, the daughter of popular Senegalese musician Wasis Diop, and the niece of another prominent Senegalese filmmaker Djibril Diop Mambéty. It’s fair to say that creating beautiful art is almost in her blood, but she established herself as a talent in her own right with the release of her 2019 film Atlantique (based on an earlier work, a documentary of the same name from 2009), which was the first film by a Black woman to be featured in competition at the Cannes Film Festival. Atlantique has been described as a “supernatural drama rooted in real-life social commentary”, using a ghost story premise to discuss issues like migration, class struggle and grief.
Bariga Sugar (2017) – Ifeoma Nkiruka Chukwuogo
In the style of many Black women filmmakers, Bariga Sugar is less focused on direct action, and more about telling a slower, more compelling character-driven story about two children living in the brothel that their mother’s are employed in. Bariga Sugar is about finding meaningful connections even in difficult circumstances. The entire short film can be streamed here. Chukuogo has also made a film about the gender-being musician “Area Scatter”, but it’s a little harder to find online. I’d recommend reading on them anyway, because it’s an incredible look at just how queer African history can be.
Dhalinyaro (2018) – Lula Ali Ismaïl
Lula Ali Ismaïl is a Djibouti-Somali film director and screenwriter. She was the first woman from Djibouti to produce and direct a film, earning her the nickname of “the first lady of the Djibouti cinema.” Dhalinyaro is a coming of age story that follows three Djibouti girls from three different class backgrounds as they transition from secondary school to the next phases of their lives. The film touches on subjects that are not often spoken about in Djbouti society like sex and teen pregnancy, and although Ismail was nervous about telling such a story, in the end, she felt it had to be done. In her own words: “Djibouti has a lot of stories that need to be told, and the most powerful way is through art — be it film, music, painting or poetry. It is my hope to see us have our own film industry.”
Unomalanga and the Witch – Palesa Shongwe
Directed by South African filmmaker Palesa Shongwe, Unomalanga and the Witch tells the story of a woman who becomes obsessed with her hairdresser after hearing tales that the other woman is a witch who murdered her husband. This is not a supernatural story, but rather an exploration of the relationships between women, and how those relationships can be affected by external forces, the way women are often pitted against each other or may avoid becoming close to one another because of the way they have been labelled. What does it mean to be a “bad woman”, and how can friendships between two women disrupt the rigid boxes that society will try to sort us into?
I Am Not A Witch (2017) – Rungano Nyoni
Speaking of witchcraft and the rigid boxes that society will try to sort us into: I Am Not A Witch is the debut film from Zambian director Rungano Nyoni. Inspired by the actual stories of women accused of witchcraft in Zambia, I Am Not A Witch tells the story of a young girl who is suspected of being a witch and sent to a “witch camp”: a community of women who have been accused of witchcraft and sentenced to a life of hard labour. I Am Not A Witch explores the community between women who have been cast out for not doing what they are supposed to do, or are scrutinized for no reason other than they are women. It sounds like a drag, but the film is surprisingly joyful at times, even while exploring a darker subject matter.
