Thur, Feb 11, “Rain the Color Blue with a Little Red in it”, 2015, 75 min

Black World Cinema
Feb 11, 7pm, Adm: $6.00
Akounak Tedalat Taha Tazoughai
( “Rain the Color Blue with a Little Red in it”), 2015, 75 min
directed by Christopher Kirkley in collaboration with Mdou Moctar and Jerome Fino

A revolutionary story of one musicians struggle to make it, against all odds, in the winner takes all Tuareg guitar scene of Niger. Akounak is the first feature fiction film in the Tamashek language. The title translates to “Rain the Color Blue with a Little Red in it,”a literal translation of Purple Rain (the Tuareg language has no word for Purple) – a nod to its unlikely orgins and the difficulties of translating ideas across cultures. Akounak has screened at festivals around the world, and has already become a favorite in Niger.

Akounak is not a documentary, but a narrative fictional tale. Developed and written by Mdou Moctar, Jerome Fino, and Christopher Kirkley and shot over 10 days, the film draws from the stylistic choices of Western film, filtered through a Saharan lens. Borrowing heavily from Purple Rain, Akounak is based on the struggle of a musician as a universal hero, and utilizes these sources while reinterpreting throgh protagonist Mdou Moctar’s real life experiences. In execution, many techniques have been adapted from the experimental technique of Jean Rouch – in particular, the collaborative nature to produce something that can resonate across both cultures. Akounak is the first feature fiction film in the Tamashek language. The title translates to “Rain the Color Blue with a Little Red in it,”a literal translation of Purple Rain (the Tuareg language has no word for Purple) – a nod to its unlikely orgins and the difficulties of translating ideas across cultures. Akounak has screened at festivals around the world, and has already become a favorite in Niger.

With
Hasaki Ya Suda, 2011 France, 20 min
Director: Cedric Ido
Lingala with English Subtitles.
The year 2100. The global warming has caused massive droughts that have led to conflicts and famines. The first victims of the global warming are the Southern populations, forced to leave their lands to immigrate to the North. A massive exodus that makes chaos out of the known world order. Now, the earth is reduced to one giant no man’s land. Lost and defenseless, the survivors have no choice but to return to ancestral rites. All over the world, clans form and fight for the last natural resources and fertile lands.