Past Event

The African Group of Diplomats in Canada, the Institute of African Studies and the Film Studies Program of Carleton University, in collaboration with the Canadian Film Institute, are pleased to invite you to the screening of three films in celebration of Africa Day.

All screenings will take place at:

River Building, Room 2200
Carleton University

* On Thursday, May 28^th, at 7pm with support from the Embassy of Algeria we are screening Hors la loi /Outside the Law by Rachid Bouchareb (Algeria)

Hors la loi /Outside the Law (dir. Rachid Bouchareb,  2010, French and Arabic with English
subtitles, 137 min.)
The story takes place between 1945 and 1962, and focuses on the lives of three Algerian brothers in France, set against the backdrop of the Algerian independence movement and the Algerian War.  It provides an historically unorthodox portrayal of the 1945 Sétif massacre and sparked a political controversy in France. Reviews of the film compared it to Westerns and gangster films, and critics observed how the independence activists were likened to the French Resistance during World War II. Outside the Law represented Algeria at the 83rd Academy Awards, where it was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film.

“A tense, energetic historical drama on a grand scale – somewhere between Bertolucci and Michael Mann” (Jonathan Romney, The Independent on Sunday).

* On Friday, May 29th at 7pm with support from the Embassy of Egypt we are screening The Emigrant by Youssef Chahine (Egypt), the most celebrated Egyptian film director.

The Emigrant (dir. Youssef Chahine, 1994, Arabic with English subtitles, 155 min.).
In this retelling of Joseph’s life with an Egyptian twist, the descendant of Abraham is known as Ram, a man leading a nomadic life and dreaming of studying in Egypt. Ram (Khaled El Nabaoui) and his brothers travel across the Sinai Desert, after which his brothers decide to sell him to a man who takes him to Thebes, Egypt. There, he meets military leader Amihar (Mahmoud Hemida) and his wife (Yousra), who lusts after Ram. He must deal with her advances and with Amihar’s plans to obtain power.
* On Saturday, May 30th at 7pm, with support from the Embassy of Haiti we are screening Ayiti Toma by Joseph Hillel (Canada/Haiti).

Ayity Toma: The Land of the Living (dir. Joseph Hillel, Canada/Haiti, French with English subtitles, 83 min).
Beyond the country that overcame slavery to become the first Black Republic, beyond the country that has survived numerous natural disasters and even humanitarian aid, lies Ayiti Toma, the ‘country that is ours’. The documentary that bears this name aspires to present this lesser known, more inclusive Ayiti as it is retold and illuminated by the Ayitians themselves, be they intellectuals, politicians, practitioners of voodoo or young survivors from a hard-hit borough of Port-au-Prince. With the additional input of anthropologists, historians and aid workers (including Sean Penn), this documentary illustrates that this extraordinary culture must be taken into account if Ayiti Toma, the land of the living is to come into being.