DOC NYC: Films About Africa

Included in DOC NYC’s lineup this year are a number of films whose subject matter touch on the African continent.

SWEET DREAMS A decade after the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, Kiki Katese, a pioneering theatre director, founded Ingoma Nshya, the country’s first female drumming troupe, offering healing for women from both sides of the conflict. When Kiki met the owners of Brooklyn’s Blue Marble Ice Cream, she invited them to help Ingoma Nshya open Rwanda’s first local ice cream shop. SWEET DREAMS follows this remarkable group of Rwandan women as they create their own unique path to a future of peace and possibility.

Expected to Attend: Rob Fruchtman, Lisa Fruchtman, Special Guests

UNDER AFRICAN SKIES Twenty-five years ago, Paul Simon’s “Graceland” album brought international attention to South African music while the country’s black populace still suffered under apartheid. By recording in South Africa, Simon defied the United Nations cultural boycott and became embroiled in controversy. Director Joe Berlinger (Oscar-nominated for PARADISE LOST 3) follows Simon as he travels back to South Africa for a reunion concert with the “Graceland” band members and sits down with his former critic Dali Tambo for a probing dialogue about art and politics. Courtesy of A&E IndieFilms.

Expected to Attend: Joe Berlinger

SEARCHING FOR SUGAR MAN In the late ‘60s, the Detroit singer known as Rodriguez was considered a Chicano Bob Dylan by his producers. His album “Cold Fact” never took off in the U.S., but unbeknownst to him it became massive hit in apartheid-era South Africa. Decades later, amidst rumors of Rodriguez’s suicide, dedicated South African fans search to learn what happened to their hero. This unforgettable film chronicles their quest and its extraordinary outcome. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.