Maine Rolls Out The Red Carpet For African Films
The Maine African Film Festival (MAFF) screened twenty-seven movies last week in what was their first annual celebration of the people and cultures of Africa. The weeklong event aimed to bridge the gap between postcolonial Africa and the U.S., and is the first African Film Festival in Maine.
MAFF is a non-profit arts organization created to provide cultural education, economic development, and community building opportunities in Southern Maine. The festival is committed to using African-themed films to promote cultural literacy, tolerance, and diversity, and showcases the everyday life of Africans.
Screenings took place at venues throughout Greater Portland including the Nickelodeon Cinemas, the Children’s Museum of Art, and the Cumberland County Jail, where inmates watched a film about crime and redemption. The inmates then had a question and answer session to discuss what they had seen and how it affected them.
The festival includes feature films, documentaries, animations, and short films. While focusing on Africa, the themes are global and transcend cultures, something no more prevalent than in Maine, where refugees from Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Somalia have resettled. According to the World Affairs Council of Maine, Portland and Lewiston are two of the largest resettlement cities in the U.S.
Though relatively unknown to the average movie goer, film in Africa is a booming economy. Currently, Nigeria is the third leading producer of films in the world, behind the U.S. and India, and the term Nollywood has been favourably associated with the movie culture. Estimates have the Nigerian industry valued at nearly $500 million, and it is with open arms that Maine welcomes the new form of film and its annual festival.
For more information on the first annual Maine African Film Festival please visit: www.tmaff.org.
