The Africa Project: A Movie Poll

@ Angel: fantastic list!! and some great also rans… Has anyone seen Rouch’s the Human Pyramid? I was really interested in the SYNOPSIS.

I have decided to lengthen the submissions for the poll for another month now closing 15th December. This gives users a longer time to watch those films they want to see. If there are any alterations for people who have already given their lists please just message me and I can make the changes.

FINALLY I have had a ot of interest on facebook and several filmmakers and producers have contacted me and hopefully will be taking part. I have just launched the Facebook page for my poll The Africa Film Poll. Please “like” the page so we can spread this out to people not on MUBI and spread this poll further out there on the net and get as many film suggestions as possible!!

“I have decided to lengthen the submissions for the poll for another month now closing 15th December.”

Thanks a lot, I’m glad there will be more viewing time. There are still quite a few films on your blog I want to check out before the poll ends.

Here is Myra’s contribution to the Africa Film Poll……

The Little Girl Who Sold the Sun – Mambety
Black Girl – Sembene
A Screaming Man – Haroun
Waiting for Happiness – Sissako
The Wind – Cisse
Harvest: 3000 Years – Gerima
The Battle of Algiers – Pontecorvo
Cairo Station – Chahine
Bab’Aziz – The Prince That Contemplated His Soul – Khemir
Munyurangabo – Lee Isaac Chung

bumping this up again, for recommendations. glad there’s more viewing time!

Hi Kuxa
Don’t know if this is of interest, but a year or so ago the IMDb ‘Classics’ board ran a poll of favourite sub-Saharan African films. The results were reposted last week (when another poll had just ended). I don’t think anyone’s posted this here before – it’s the result of the collective votes of 20-30 non-specialists, a bit like MUBI polls really, so not all that adventurous, but it could feed into the project.

1. Xala (1975, Sembene), Senegal
2. Hyènes (1992, Mambéty), Senegal
2. Moolaadé (2004, Sembene), Senegal
4. Noirs et blancs en couleur (1976, Annaud), Côte d’Ivoire
5. Chocolat (1988, Denis), France/W.Germany/Cameroun
6. Tsotsi (2005, Hood), S. Africa
7. Faat Kiné (2000, Sembene), Senegal
8. Mandabi (1968, Sembene), Senegal
9. L’Extraordinaire Destin de Mme. Brouette (2002, Sene Absa), Senegal
10. Yesterday (2004, Roodt), S. Africa
11. Ceddo (1977, Sembene), Senegal
11. Emitai (1971, Sembene), Senegal
13. The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980, Uys), Botswana
13. Sarraounia (1986, Hondo), Burkina Faso
15. Yaaba (1989, Ouedraogo), Burkina Faso
16. Wend Kuuni (1982, Kaboré), Burkina Faso
17. Muna Moto (1975, Dikongue-Pipa), Cameroun
17. Tilai (1990, Ouedraogo), Burkina Faso
19. Cry, the Beloved Country (1995, Roodt), S. Africa
19. The Road to Mecca (1992, Fugard/Goldschmid), S. Africa
19. Udju Azul di Yonta (Gomes, 1992), Guinea-Bissau

Thaks for Ali for that list and to Cat for bumping this thread. I have been quite busy lately to push this thread on!! I repeat the deadline is 15th December and the poll should be published before the Christmas holidays!! Some really interesting have appeared so far and I still hope we will get some further participation!!!

No list, but I’ll second or third the vote for Faces of Women (1987, Ecare).

New Yorker Films released it on VHS but never on DVD. Now that they’re defunct, I hope someone can snag the rights and release it.

Thanks for the extension, Kuxa. I will definitely try to knock off a few that have been on my to-watch list and then participate in the poll.

I posted my list on page 1 of this thread, but I’ve seen a few more African films since then, and so if I may I’ll post an updated list:

01. Harvest: 3000 Years (Haile Gerima)
02. Oh, Sun (Med Hondo)
03. Farewell Johnny (Jans Rautenbach)
04. The Wind (Souleymane Cissé)
05. Xala (Ousmane Sembène)
06. Yeelen (Souleymane Cissé)
07. Black Girl (Ousmane Sembène)
08. The Silences of the Palace (Moufida Tlatli)
09. Yaaba (Idrissa Ouedraogo)
10. Kuxa Kanema: The Birth of Cinema (Margarida Cardoso)
11. Waiting for Happiness (Abderrahmane Sissako)
12. Touki Bouki (Djibril Diop Mambéty)
13. The Little Girl Who Sold the Sun (Djibril Diop Mambéty)
14. Africa, I Will Fleece You (Jean-Marie Téno)
15. The Thief and the Dogs (Kamal El Sheikh)
16. Adrift on the Nile (Hussein Kamal)
17. Alexandria… Why? (Youssef Chahine)
18. The Stranger (Luchino Visconti)
19. The Battle of Algiers (Gillo Pontecorvo)
20. The Land (Youssef Chahine)

Hopefully I’ll get the chance to see some more African films before the deadline.

Ok, just five more days until this poll ends!! I hope we will get a few more votes in before that….

I have split my original list into two lists and added some films I have now had the chance to see.

NORTH AFRICA
1.Man of Ashes (Bouzid)
2.No Tomorrow (Abouseif)
3.Night of Counting Years (Abdel Salem)
4.The Sun Will Never Set (Abouseif)
5.A Thousand and One Nights (Bensaidi)
6.Chased By the Dogs (El Sheikh)
7.Bled Number One (Ameur-Zaïmeche)
8.Cairo Station (Chahine)
9.Halfaouine: Child of the Terraces (Boughedir)
10.Adrift On the Nile (Salem)

SUB SAHARAN AFRICA
1.Xala (Sembene)
2.Sambizanga (Maldoror)
3.Dilemma (Carlsen)
4.Touki Bouki (Mambety)
5.Africa I Will Fleece You (Teno)
6.Farewell Johnny (Rautenbach)
7.Waiting For Happiness (Sissako)
8.Kuxa Kanema: Birth of A Nation (Cardoso)
9.Mapantsula (Schmitz)
10.Finye (Cisse)

Absoloute musts for me to watch after this poll
Harvest 3,000 Years, Soleil O, Den Muso, More Abouseif, More Chahine, More Rautenbach

1. Harvest: 3000 Years – Haile Gerima
2. Den Muso – Souleymane Cissé
3. La Noire De . . . – Ousmane Sembene
4. Bab’Aziz: The Prince That Contemplated His Soul – Nacer Khemir
5. Cairo Station – Youssef Chahine
6. Wend Kuuni – Gaston Kabore
7. Silences of the Palace – Moufida Tlatli
8. City of Contrasts – Djibril Diop Mambéty
9. When the Stars Meet the Sea – Raymond Rajaonarivelo
10. Fools – Ramadan Suleman

I decided a while ago that when I did this, I was only going to use one film per director. I’m only sorry I couldn’t watch more before I submitted this (life and what not always gets in the way of watching more films). My watchlist, incidentally, has some other great ones on it, too.

Need to do a lot more watching before I can come up with a top 10 but here are some of the movies that I especially liked:

1>Xala
2>Farewell Johnny
3>Harvest: 3000 years.
4>Night of the Counting Years
5>Kuxa Kanema: The Birth of Cinema
6>Yeleen
7>Dilemma
8>Black Girl
9>Soleil O
10>The Gods Must be Crazy

Just three days left until this poll is closed. The Ethiopian film director Ermias Woldeamlak has gladly contributed to this poll. His list is as follows….

1. “Xala” ousman Sembene
2. " love Brewed in the African Pot" Kwaw Ansah
3. “Heritage Africa” Kwaw Ansah
4. “Harvest 3000” Haile Gerima
5 “Teza” Haile Gerima
6 “Battle of Algiers” though directed by non African, it is an important film for it’s impt topic.
7. Tableau ferraille by Moussa Sene Absa, Sengal
8. Lumumba, Raoul Peck ???? For its topic
9. Hyenas, by Djibril Diop Mambéty Sengal
10. Yeelen, by: Souleymane Cissé, Maili

A big thanks to him. You can find find his profile on MUBI HERE

In no order whatsoever

1) Xala (Sembene)
2) Moolaade (Sembene)
3) La Noire de… (Sembene)
4) Borom Sarrat (Sembene…notice a pattern)
5) District 9 (Blompkamp)
6) Battle of Algiers (Pontecorvo)
7) Chronicle of the Years of Fire (Lakhdar-Hamina)
8) Animals are Beautiful People (Uys)
9) The Gods Must Be Crazy (Uys)
10) Burkina Faso segment of 9’11"01 (Ouedraogo)

I’ve also seen Silences of the Palace and TGMBC 2, neither of which I liked.

I’m more well-versed in Latin American cinema.

HARVEST: 3000 YEARS (Haile Gerima)
THE WIND (Souleymane Cissé)
THE SILENCES OF THE PALACE (Moufida Tlatli)
THE NIGHTINGALE’S PRAYER (Henry Barakat)
MAFROUZA – OH NIGHT! (Emmanuelle Demoris)
HYENAS (Djibril Diop Mambéty)
MAN OF ASHES (Nouri Bouzid)
OMAR GATLATO (Merzak Allouache)
FARAW: MOTHER OF THE DUNES (Abdoulaye Ascofaré)
SOLEIL O (Med Hondo)

.

This poll was a great success, it will take months or even years to catch up on the variety of interesting titles that have been mentioned on here (including Arsaib’s).

Thanks again, Kevin.

Xala / Ousmane Sembène
The Gate of the Sun / Yousry Nasrallah
Alexandria… Why? / Youssef Chahine
The Little Girl Who Sold the Sun / Djibril Diop Mambéty
Africa, I Will Fleece You / Jean-Marie Téno
The Silences of the Palace / Moufida Tlatli
The Great White of Lambaréné / Bassek Ba Kobhio
Rome Rather Than You / Tariq Teguia
The Open Door / Henry Barakat
Chased by the Dogs / Kamal El Sheikh

Africa, I Will Fleece You (Jean Marie Teno)
Faraw: Mother of the Dunes (Abdoulaye Ascofaré)
The Wind (Souleymane Cissé)
Yaaba (Idrissa Ouedraogo)
Xala (Ousmane Sembène)
The Nightingale’s Prayer (Henry Barakat)
Kuxa Kanema: Birth of Cinema (Margarida Cardoso)
Wend Kuuni (Gaston Kaboré)
Samba Traoré (Idrissa Ouedraogo)
Touki Bouki (Djibril Diop Mambéty)

Ok I think just under 24 hours before the poll closes. Thanks everyone so far for voting and some great choices and films to check out :)

Mapantsula (Oliver Schmitz)
Faraw: Mother of the Dunes (Abdoulaye Ascofaré)
Wanderers of the Desert (Nacer Khemir)
Buud Yam (Gaston Kaboré)
Tilai (Idrissa Ouedraogo)
Touki Bouki (Djibril Diop Mambéty)
The Little Girl Who Sold the Sun (Djibril Diop Mambéty)
Hyenas (Djibril Diop Mambéty)
The Nightingale’s Prayer (Henry Barakat)
Harvest: 3000 Years (Haile Gerima)
The Land (Youssef Chahine)
The Wind (Souleymane Cissé)
Yeelen (Souleymane Cissé)
The Silences of the Palace (Moufida Tlatli)
Mandabi (Ousmane Sembène)
Ceddo (Ousmane Sembène)
Dreams of Dust (Laurent Salgues)
Abouna (Mahamat-Saleh Haroun)
Waiting for Happiness (Abderrahmane Sissako)
Soleil O (Med Hondo)

It was really really hard to pare the list down to 20 selections.

Thanks to everyone for taking part. The poll is now closed. I will collect all this information and process it into a wonderful list and send everyone links. Realistically this will happen in the first few weeks of January!!

Great! I’m sorry I didn’t know enough to contribute, but I’ll be looking to the list as a reference for future viewing.

Ok the poll has now been tallied and above is the final result thanks to everyone who took part and I hope it can be a useful resource for people on this site in the future.

For the full results please see my list The Mubi Africa Film Poll 2011-2012

Very well done, an essential list and project. Yeelen top of this and highest placed African film in the long voting thread just finished too.