Africa in Motion: Beats of the Antonov

A music movement is at the core of this engaging and unsettling documentary from war reporter Hajooj Kuka. Telling the story of the Sudanese populations of the Blue Nile and Nuba Mountain regions this concentrated documentary feature reveals, and revels in, the cultural production and societal organisation of these people. The film is structured around the daily bombing runs carried out by the Sudanese government in Khartoum. The bombing runs utilise Russian Antonov cargo-carriers to try to blast these ‘rebels’ out of existence. However, such tactics have only further reinforced a determination to preserve a specifically African culture that is viewed as being under threat. Sarah Mohamed, an ethnomusicologist, features prominently as a guide to the various music forms that have sprung up around the impromptu celebrations staged after each bombing run. These are celebrations of life as much as culture.

This screening is held in partnership with Take One Action Film Festival.

Hajooj Kuka | Sudan/South Africa 2014 | 1h5m | Arabic with English subtitles | Documentary | 15

Plus short film, Chop My Money

This short documentary takes a look into the harsh world of three street kids living on Goma’s (Eastern Congo) urban streets, a playground for drugs, alcohol and crime. Chop My Money, scored by Montreal’s Dirty Beaches, premiered last year at the Toronto International Film Festival's international shorts programme.

Theo Anthony | Congo 2014 | 13m | English/Swahili with English subtitles | 15