From Egypt to South Africa, veteran and emerging filmmakers are using film to address the issues changing the face of the African continent. Under the banner “Africa in Transition – Today!” the 2006 African Film Festival presents U.S. and NY premieres of internationally-acclaimed films, including Drum from director Zola Maseko, starring Taye Diggs, and U-Carmen eKhayelitsha, an exquisite adaptation of Bizet’s opera “Carmen” that won the Berlin Film Festival’s Golden Bear Award.

Khalo Matabane’s Conversations on a Sunday Afternoon, Taghreed Elsanhouri's All About Darfur, Jacqueline Kalimunda’s Homeland as well as Phybia Dlamini’s Outlaw Culture explore the personal narrative of displacement, experiences of xenophobia, alternative lifestyles and the homeward bound search for reconciliation. “Emerging Voices from the Maghreb” features award-winning short films from North Africa addressing the tensions between tradition and modernity, women’s struggle for equal opportunity and the integration of North African families into European cities and suburbs. The shorts program "Out in South Africa" delves into the issues of sexuality, gender, and politics in a country known for its progressive constitution as well as the violence and homophobia that continues to haunt the lives of many gay people.

Maverick Cameroonian filmmaker Jean-Pierre Bekolo's experimental films have earned him an international reputation as an innovator in African film. Three of his films are in the festival including his most recent film, Les Saignantes ("The Bloodettes"), hailed as one of the first science fiction films to emerge from Africa.

The festival opens with a panel at the historic Apollo Theater on April 20th and continues at the International Center of Photography, May 12th and 19th, and at BAMcinématek, May 25th through May 29th.

For over a decade the African Film Festival, Inc., has used the cinematic lens to provide audiences with new ways to explore and understand African culture, history, and politics. For more information, please visit www.africanfilmny.org.