1 to 10|11 to 20|21 to 31|31 to 36|38 to 45|48 to 54|54 to 60|63 to 67|67 to 75|78 to 83|84 to 90|90 to 100
67. “Metropolis” (Fritz Lang, 1927) and “Welcome II the Terrordome” (Ngozi Onwurah, 1995): As a highly influential science fiction film, ambitious in scope, groundbreaking visual effects, and its exploration of social themes, Lang’s “Metropolis” is unmatched.
As an African/Afropean complement, British-Nigerian Onwurah’s film also uses sci-fi as a way to expose and challenge the social and political injustices of its era, depicting a scenario where Black people are segregated into a ghetto called the Terrordome, and under constant surveillance, and subject to violence. The film also shows how Black people cope with their situation through various means, such as family, community, spirituality, activism, and crime.
The differences in their respective cultural contexts are significant, yet both films depict a dystopian society where a powerful minority oppresses and exploits a marginalized majority, creating a stark contrast between the privileged and the oppressed. They also explore the themes of love, rebellion, and revolution, as well as the role of technology and media in shaping public opinion and behavior.
“Terrordome” is groundbreaking and visionary, even if not entirely in the way “Metropolis” was groundbreaking and visionary — a pioneering genre blend that challenges the status quo and offers a critique that still resonates.
67 – “Andrei Rublev” (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1966) and “Keïta! L’Héritage du griot” (Dani Kouyaté, 1995): Tarkovsky’s oeuvre stands as visionary, pushing the boundaries of artistic expression and inviting audiences to contemplate timeless questions about humanity, spirituality, and the power of art. “Rublev” is a masterpiece among other masterpieces.
As an African complement, Kouyaté’s film also utilizes the character of the artist to mirror the history and culture of Burkina Faso. In “Keïta!”, The artist, shaped by the socio-political context of his time, is a griot, a traditional storyteller, a musician, a custodian who preserves and transmits the oral history and culture of his people — in this case, the 13th-century epic of Sundiata Keita, the founder of the Mali Empire.
Both films employ a non-linear and episodic narrative structure, intertwining historical occurrences with elements of fiction or mythology. In “Keïta!”, the film alternates between two parallel stories: one set in contemporary Burkina Faso, where a griot tells a boy about his ancestor Sundiata Keita; and one set in 13th-century Mali, where Sundiata Keita rises from exile to become a king. The film also blends historical facts with legendary or supernatural elements.
67 – “The Red Shoes” (Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, 1948) and “Karmen Geï” (Joseph Gaï Ramaka, 2001): While both films explore the conflicts faced by women torn between love and their artistic passions, they do so in distinct ways, drawing on different cultural backgrounds and artistic influences.
“Karmen Geï” is a Senegalese reimagining of Bizet’s opera “Carmen” in a contemporary setting. It explores the life of Karmen, a spirited and seductive woman who challenges societal norms and captures the heart of a police officer.
The film portrays Karmen as a symbol of liberation and rebellion against the constraints placed on women in her society.
In terms of cultural context, “Red Shoes” is firmly rooted in British and European traditions, with a focus on the world of classical ballet. It reflects the cultural and artistic milieu of post-war Britain.
“Karmen Geï,” on the other hand, is deeply rooted in Senegalese culture, showcasing the vibrant context of Dakar. It incorporates traditional music, dance, and storytelling traditions.
67 – La Jetée” (Chris Marker, 1962) and “The Dislocation of Amber” (Hussein Shariffe, 1975): Another Marker title that holds a significant place in the history of cinema, considered a groundbreaking and influential film.
Both short films (28 minutes and 32 minutes) deal with themes of memory, time, and displacement. “La Jetée” uses the concept of time travel to explore a man’s memories and his longing for a time before the apocalypse. Similarly, “The Dislocation of Amber” uses the contrast between two civilizations to explore the sense of exile and longing for home.
“The Dislocation of Amber” was filmed in the city of Suakin, a formerly flourishing port in Sudan, now in ruins. Through poetic and lyrical abstractions, the film contrasts two different civilizations, the homeland, Sudan, and the country of exile, Great Britain.
In terms of form, “La Jetée” is known for its unique use of still images to tell a story. “The Dislocation of Amber”, despite Shariffe’s background as a painter and poet, doesn’t employ similar unique and artistic techniques to convey his themes.
However, both films are innovative in their cinematic techniques in the context of their respective cinemas and eras — “The Dislocation of Amber” does this from a Sudanese, post-colonial perspective.
72. “My Neighbour Totoro” (Miyazaki Hayao 1988) and the body of work by Jean-Michel Kibushi Ndjate Wooto: As one of two animation films on the Sight & Sound 100 greatest films list, it seems only logical to use the work of an African animation pioneer as an African complement to “My Neighbour Totoro.” So for the sake of this experiment, we’ll consider Congolese animator Jean-Michel Kibushi Ndjate Wooto’s body of work.
Kibushi is widely considered to be the first Congolese animator. In 1988, he created the first local mobile studio for animation, Studio Malembe Maa, meaning “slowly but surely” in Lingala, the local language of the DRC. In 1991, Kibushi created the first Congolese animated film, “Le Crapaud Chez Ses Beaux-Parents” (“Toad Visits His In-Laws”), a stop-motion film interpretation of an oral tale from his own childhood.
His next work was the documentary animation “Septembre Noir” (“Black September”) in 1992, which recounts Kinshasa’s 1991 military coup through the voices and drawings of children who lived through it.
Kibushi’s work continues to this day, whether framing socio-political struggles or local perspectives through his rich, tactile animations or enabling and advocating arts education in the DRC.
Both Miyazaki’s “My Neighbour Totoro” and Kibushi’s films are celebrated for their unique and imaginative approach to animation. While “My Neighbour Totoro” is a heartwarming tale of childhood and the magic of nature, Kibushi’s films often incorporate traditional Congolese art forms and explore themes of history, identity, and offer social commentary.
72. “Journey to Italy” (Roberto Rossellini, 1954) and “The Yacoubian Building” (Marwan Hamed, 2006): Finding an African film that explores the dynamics of a crumbling marriage was a greater challenge than I expected. Rossellini’s “Journey to Italy” called for a compromise.
“Journey to Italy,” directed by Roberto Rossellini, is an Italian film that follows a British couple as they travel to Italy to sell a property they’ve inherited. The journey becomes a transformative experience for them, as they confront their marital issues and existential anxieties.
“The Yacoubian Building” is an Egyptian film that explores the lives of various residents in a prestigious building in Cairo. Based on the novel of the same name by Alaa Al Aswany, it presents a microcosm of Egyptian society, with characters representing different social classes, genders, and political ideologies.
While “Journey to Italy” is considered a classic of Italian neorealism, “The Yacoubian Building” is known for its frank depiction of issues such as homosexuality, corruption, and religious extremism, which are often considered taboo in Egyptian cinema.
Still, both films deal with the disillusionment with traditional values and societal expectations.
Furthermore, each uses a specific *location* (a building in Cairo, a journey in Italy) as a metaphor for their characters’ internal states and the conditions of the society around them.
72 – “L’avventura” (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1960) and “The Blue Eyes of Yonta” (Flora Gomes, 1992): Two films that are complementary in their questioning of storytelling and their enigmatic explorations of expression.
“The Blue Eyes of Yonta” is a Bissau-Guinean film structured around a triangle of unrequited love: the young student Zé is infatuated with the beautiful titular Yonta, who in turn is in love with Vicente, a militant former comrade of Yonta’s father. The film uses the backdrop of post-independence Guinea-Bissau to reflect the characters’ emotions and the societal changes taking place.
“Yonta” is set against the backdrop of the aftermath of the Guinea-Bissau War of Independence, focusing on the lives of those who fought in the war and their children, who represent hope for the future.
Both films use the landscape and environment to reflect the characters’ moods and psychology. They challenge the conventions of narrative cinema by subverting audience expectations and refusing to provide clear resolutions or explanations.
They also experiment with different forms and modes of cinematic expression to create a poetic atmosphere.
The theme of beauty, contrasted with ugliness, violence, and corruption, is also present in both films.
75 – “Imitation of Life” (Douglas Sirk, 1959) and “Neria” (Godwin Mawuru, 1993): Following an arduous search, a compromise was made here as well. “Neria” is a Zimbabwean melodrama that tells the story of a widow who faces the loss of her property and children to her greedy brother-in-law after her husband’s death.
The film explores the traditional and modern values of Zimbabwean society and the challenges faced by women in patriarchal structures. While both films belong to different cultural contexts and explore generally different themes, they both delve into issues of gender, class, and societal expectations.
Additionally, both films show the complex relationships between mothers and daughters, who have different aspirations and expectations from each other. They also depict the social inequalities and prejudices that affect women of different social backgrounds in their respective societies.
75 – “Sansho the Bailiff” (Mizoguchi Kenji, 1954) and “Les Mille et Une Mains” (“A Thousand and One Hands,” Souheil Ben-Barka, 1974): Kenji’s “Sansho the Bailiff” tells the story of two aristocratic children sold into slavery, and their journey to reunite with their family. As an African complement, “A Thousand and One Hands” is a Moroccan film that explores the exploitation of workers in the carpet industry, focusing on the harsh realities of labor and the struggle for survival.
Both films deal with themes of exploitation, human suffering, and the struggle for freedom, with the cultural and historical contexts of Japan and Morocco providing different perspectives, enriching the viewer’s understanding of these themes.
While the two films have distinct visual styles, both use their visual styles not just for aesthetic purposes, but to enhance their narratives and engage the audience on an emotional level.
75 – “Spirited Away” (Miyazaki Hayao, 2001) and the collected animated works of Moustapha Alassane: The other animated film on Sight & Sound’s 100 greatest films list, “Spirited Away” finds its African counterpart in the collective works of Moustapha Alassane, another pioneer of African animation, from Niger.
“Spirited Away” stands as a testament to the power of animation in storytelling. Similarly, Alassane’s body of work, though comprised of short films, showcases the richness and diversity of African narratives and artistry.
Moustapha Alassane was a pioneer of African animation. His work is known for its creativity, humor, and critical social commentary. He used animation to tell stories that reflected the realities and myths of Niger culture.
His films often incorporated elements of folklore, and were marked by a distinct visual style that drew on local art and craft traditions.
His work has been recognized for its contribution to the development of a uniquely African form of animation.
Like Miyazaki, Alassane used animation to create enchanting and imaginative worlds, but his work is also deeply rooted in the social and cultural realities of his time and place.
1 to 10|11 to 20|21 to 31|31 to 36|38 to 45|48 to 54|54 to 60|63 to 67|67 to 75|78 to 83|84 to 90|90 to 100
TO BE CONTINUED…
If you appreciate our coverage here and on social media and would like to support us, please consider donating today. Your contribution will help us continue to do our work in coverage of African cinema and, more importantly, grow the platform so that it reaches its potential, and our comprehensive vision for it. Thank you for being so supportive: https://gofund.me/013bc9f2
Pingback: A Journey Through Sight and Sound’s Top 100 Films and Their African Complements - Akoroko