Coming to NYC’s DCTV screening series tonight, Monday, May 13:
THE POETS
Director:
Chivas DeVinck
Premiere:
Mannheim-Heidelberg 2017
Select Festivals:
Encounters, Lagos, Pan African
About:
Two acclaimed African poets revisits places from their home countries that inspired their work.
Chivas DeVinck’s portrait focuses on Syl Cheney-Coker and Niyi Osundare, celebrated poets from Sierra Leone and Nigeria respectively. The two friends travel around various places in both countries, including former homes and schools, point out differences due to war and development, and read a lot of their poetry, noting how their upbringing, confrontation with politics, war, and adversity have had an impact on their work. For viewers familiar with their writing, this likely will have a great deal of meaning and importance, but the film provides insufficient context to allow proper appreciation from those without a firm grounding of African literature and history.
