CinéSalon Series

African Futurism: The World of Jean-Pierre Bekolo

Tuesdays, February 6–27, 2024
4pm & 7:30pm

FIAF Florence Gould Hall
Free for FIAF Members!

Artist Pascale Marthine Tayou shares his appreciation of fellow Cameroonian filmmaker Jean-Pierre Bekolo for February’s edition of CinéSalon. With a wholly original style, Bekolo is a trailblazing filmmaker whose work questions and interrogates the very definition of African cinema. In this five-film series, experience cult-like films defying stereotypes and bringing new perspectives to African and Western audiences alike. The series begins with Bekolo’s first film that made its debut in Cannes, Quartier Mozart (1992), followed by multi-layered films that span genres, from the afro-futurist Les Saignantes (2005) and Naked Reality (2016) to the humor-filled essay on cinema, Aristotle’s Plot (1996), to his latest film, Nous les Noirs (2021).

Jean-Pierre Bekolo,
the most brilliant, many-colored filmmaker,
the flame of a candle that refuses to go out,
a light rising in an interminable dark tunnel,
a display of laughter through images to forget the tears.

– Pascale Marthine Tayou

To get free admission to CinéSalon screenings, join as a FIAF Member.


Past Screenings


CinéSalon

Quartier Mozart

Tuesday, February 6, 2024
4pm & 7:30pm

FIAF Florence Gould Hall


Happy Hour: 5:30-7:30pm

Dir. Jean-Pierre Bekolo, 1992, Cameroon, France, 80min, DCP, Color
In French with English subtitles

Re-imagining several folk tales into a contemporary story, director Jean-Pierre Bekolo’s first feature film follows a curious girl who is magically transformed into a swaggering Casanova nicknamed “My Guy,” whose journey into the male mind is populated with a cast of offbeat characters.

CinéSalon

Aristotle’s Plot

Le complot d'Aristote

Tuesday, February 13, 2024
4pm

FIAF Florence Gould Hall


Dir. Jean-Pierre Bekolo, 1996, France, Zimbabwe, 72min, DCP, Color
In English and French with English subtitles

In a southern African town, a group of young wannabe gangsters hang out at the local cinema, where they binge-watch classic U.S. action movies. But their reverie ends when an earnest filmmaker arrives and enlists the government’s help in removing Hollywood imports and screening more African films.

Preceded by the short Foumban is Wakanda.

CinéSalon

The Bloodettes

Les Saignantes

Tuesday, February 13, 2024
7:30pm

FIAF Florence Gould Hall


Introduction by Boukary Sawadogo, Professor of Cinema Studies at City College and CUNY Graduate Center

Dir. Jean-Pierre Bekolo, 2005, Cameroon France, 94min, DCP, Color
In French with English subtitles

This film centers on two young femme fatales who set out to rid a futuristic Cameroon of its corrupt, powerful men. The story combines elements of sci-fi, action, and horror as its characters navigate a sordid world where sex, money, politics, and death perniciously overlap.

CinéSalon

Naked Reality

Tuesday, February 20, 2024
4pm & 7:30pm

FIAF Florence Gould Hall


Introduction by Tisa Chigaga, Program Manager of African Film Festival

Dir. Jean-Pierre Bekolo, 2016, South Africa, Cameroon, 62min, DCP, Black & White
In English

In an entirely urban Africa 150 years in the future, immortal rulers control the continent, and mortals perish from a genetic disease known as “Bad Luck.” Weather forecaster Wanita learns that her DNA could contain a key to the underclass’ freedom, which causes her to embark on a post-modern odyssey that could rescue humanity.

CinéSalon

We Black People

Nous les Noirs

Tuesday, February 27, 2024
4pm & 7:30pm

FIAF Florence Gould Hall


7:30pm screening introduced by actor William Nadylam

Dir. Jean-Pierre Bekolo, 2021, Cameroon, Colombia, 101min, DCP, Color
In French, Spanish and English with English subtitles

This fake ethnology film is formatted like a documentary centering on the discovery and history of Colombia’s black people. It explores cultural identity forged around “resistance” against slavery followed by colonialism.