Mini South African Film Festival to be held at London’s Mella Centre

A brand new space dedicated to promoting African culture opened last month in the prime location of Oxford Street. Still undiscovered by many, The Mella Centre which houses a number of independent traders as well as a vegan cafe is set to be a vibrant meeting place for talks, screenings and also music events.

In collaboration with the Black Cinema Club they’re hosting a mini film festival to commemorate the late Nelson Mandela who passed away at the age of 95 on the 5th of Decemeber.

The two day event which opens on Wednesday the 18th (5pm) is free to attend and will screen the following films:

December 18th

Mandela & de Klerk

A 1997 television film directed by Joseph Sargent. It stars Sidney
Poitier and Michael Caine. It was nominated for numerous awards in
1997 and 1998.




Sarafina!

A 1992 South African film starring Leleti Khumalo, Whoopi

Goldberg, Miriam Makeba, John Kani and Tertius Meintjies. The plot

centers on students involved in the Soweto Riots, in opposition to the
implementation of Afrikaans as the language of instruction in schools.




 

December 19th

Drum

Drum is the 1976 sequel to the film Mandingo, and released by United
Artists. Starring Warren Oates, Pam Grier, and Ken Norton and directed
by Steve Carver, it parodies nineteenth-century American slavery like
its predecessor.




Namibia: The Struggle for Freedom

a 2007 epic film on the
Namibian independence struggle against South African occupation as
seen through the life of Sam Nujoma, the leader of the South-West
Africa People’s Organisation and the first president of the Republic
of Namibia. The film is written and directed by Charles Burnett, the
African American filmmaker, and stars Carl Lumbly and Danny Glover.




photo: Colossal Media

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