In partnership with the Brazilian Association of Black Audiovisual Professionals, the Embassy of Brazil in Nairobi is proud to host the "Black Brazilian Film Festival" this month, celebrated in Brazil as the month of black consciousness.
Throughout several spaces in the city of Nairobi between November 8th and 12th including the University of Nairobi, a rooftop cinema and a bookshop, preceded by an opening night at the creative hub The Alchemist, mid and long features, documentaries and short films directed by Brazilians of African descent will be screened.
The festival that opens in Nairobi is the result of the resistance and struggle of black Brazilian screenwriters, actors, directors and civil society who understood the importance of building authentic and realistic narratives about the rich experience of ordinary people in a country that has the largest black population outside of the African continent.
"The Kenyan audience will be presented with films written, directed and produced by talented black Brazilian women and men, which bring to light a multiplicity of characters who express all the pains and pleasures of being a Brazilian citizen in the world.
As the films shown at the festival demonstrate, few dimensions of art can offer such a diverse and realistic image of a segment of the Brazilian population systematically ignored by the film industry," says Brazilian Ambassador to Kenya H.E. Silvio Albuquerque.
"We are a plural people, rich and charming in our diversity. Brazilian cinema has already portrayed this richness in works that can be found in the imagination of audiences worldwide. But historically there was a gap in this filmmaking experience, as a relevant part of who we are as a people was underrepresented on screen. Showcasing the work of new generations, this festival contributes to breaking down another barrier to understanding this inseparable dimension of Brazil, its people, and our African heritage," H.E. Silvio Albuquerque says.
