12/21/2012

An Introduction To African Movies For Sale

By Dianne Crane


If you're a cinema buff, you probably don't shy away from films that don't quite fit the Hollywood model. You probably already know many productions from not only Europe, but also from Australia, Asia and Latin America. You can now add to your collection with cinema from another source. The internet has made it easier than ever to find African movies for sale.

Contrary to what many people think, Africa is not simply a continent of famine, poverty, war, lions and people who live in mud huts. Cities like Johannesburg and Lagos are vibrant, modern centers of commerce and culture. Not only do they have paved streets and internet, but they are also home to a fast-growing film industry.

Generally Africa's film-makers focus less on the commercial aspects of their craft than their Hollywood counterparts do. The result is that they often tackle serious themes that would not necessarily be box-office hits. The realities of life in Africa include the after-effects of slavery and colonialism, racism and exploitation, poverty and how to modernize without losing all traditions.

Many Africans leave the continent for rich countries in search of a better life, only to find that the developed world is not always that welcoming. This is not a new story, as shown by a classic from 1966. Ousmane Sembene from Senegal directed 'La Noire de...', also known as 'Black Girl', about a woman from Senegal who moves to France, becomes a maid and is increasingly exploited in her adopted country.

'Black Girl' also explores gender issues and the struggle of Africa's women in particular. This is a common theme for films from the continent. 'Neria', a Zimbabwean production from 1993, is the tale of a widow's struggle for survival in the face of tradition that favors men. The ravages of AIDS and how the disease affects women are explored in the award-winning South African film 'Yesterday', the first full-length feature in isiZulu.

The Tunisian director Moufida Tlatli broke ground in 1994 when she directed 'The Silences of the Palace' and became the first Arab woman to direct a full-length film. Other female directors followed, not only in Arabic countries but also from other African countries. One example is Maria Joao Ganga from Angola, who in 2004 directed 'Na Cidade Vazia', known in English as 'Hollow City'.

Africa is also home to Nollywood, the biggest film industry in the world after India's Bollywood. Nollywood is the industry in Nigeria and has an output of roughly 200 movies every month. Many of these are incredibly bad, low-budget productions, but some are great films like 'The Amazing Grace', directed by Jeta Amata.

Africa has also produced some real commercial success stories. One of these is 2009's 'District 9', a sci-fi thriller from South Africa that explored a theme like racism in an entertaining way, becoming the highest-grossing film in the USA when it opened. For this and other African movies for sale, there are several websites that specialize in film from the continent.




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