Author Archives: basiltsiokos

Now on VOD: PUNK IN AFRICA

Keith Jones and Deon Maas’ overview of music and resistance in southern Africa debuted at Rotterdam last year. It went on to screen at the New York Film Festival, Warsaw, Austin, One World, Hot Springs, Rio, and Cork, among others. The film has been available on various VOD platforms since the Fall, but just came to Netflix this weekend via The Orchard.

Jones and Maas trace the seemingly unlikely emergence of the punk subculture out of the underground rock scene of 1970s South Africa, mobilized especially after the 1976 Soweto uprising into a distinctly political, militantly anti-apartheid, youth-focused movement. As the nation’s separatist system became more and more embattled, various bands profiled here demanded freedom from censorship, fought against racism, and challenged societal mores by including both black and white members in their lineups. Moving through the decades to the present, the filmmakers demonstrate how the punk sensibility changed over time, adapting to different musical genres and different concerns in the post-apartheid, new South Africa, while also exploring its more recent spread into other southern African nations like Zimbabwe which are facing their own political and societal challenges. Though featuring musicians and songs unknown outside of the region, Jones and Maas’ survey film is able to convey the universality of music to forge and galvanize communities, and in the process offers an intriguing look at a previously unexplored side of the fight against oppression in southern Africa.

Coming to PBS’s Independent Lens this coming Monday, December 16: PLAYWRIGHT: FROM PAGE TO STAGE

Robert Levi’s chronicle of the development and staging of two new stage plays makes its debut on the popular ITVS supported PBS program.

Levi’s film focuses on two plays made possible by the NEA’s New Play Development Program, which supports emerging playwright, following the efforts of two grant recipients to realize their visions over three years. Cleveland’s Rajiv Joseph crafts an allegorical tale exploring the Iraq War, “Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo,” while Miami’s Tarell Alvin McCraney plumbs personal and cultural history to represent African American Louisiana in his “Brother/Sister Plays” trilogy. As their work takes shape, Levi reveals the intense collaborative process these young writers separately engage in, working with producers, directors, actors, and theatres to hone their plays before they make their debut, wrestling with controversial subjects and themes. Of the two, Joseph’s play garners more attention, attracting noted director Moises Kaufman and eventually heading to Broadway. The concessions and compromises needed to support such an endeavor, such as the necessity of recasting a key role with celebrity Robin Williams in order to draw audiences, offer insight on the practical, economic realities of the theatre world, while both writers’ journeys as a whole reveal the painstaking work that goes into the creative process, making it especially resonant for other artists and theatre fans.

Coming to VOD today, Tuesday, December 10: STREET JOURNEYS

Tracy Christian’s look at one woman’s mission to help Nairobi’s street children made its debut at Birmingham’s Africa World Doc fest last year. Other screenings have included the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Art of the Real series, LA’s Women’s International film fest, and St Louis. FilmBuff now brings the film to iTunes, Amazon, Movies on Demand, PlayStation, Google, Vudu, CinemaNow, and XBOX.

Christian’s hour-long doc focuses on Shangilia Mtoto Wa Africa, a home established by a well-known Kenyan actress, Anne Wanjugu, to get homeless children off of Nairobi’s streets. Harboring no illusions about life on the streets, Wanjugu’s goal is practical – she teaches theatre arts and skills to give her dozens of charges the tools to escape drugs and exploitation and break the chain of poverty. Filming over several years – profiled children Sam and Martha are shown as they grow from pre-adolescents to young adults – Christian spotlights the beloved Wanjugu until her untimely death about halfway through the film, then shifts to the efforts of others who take the reins at Shangilia, climaxing in a late 2000s performance and recording tour of the US by a selection of children, accompanied by professional African-American musicians. The project is well-meaning, with a welcome, affirming, and proactive message about making a difference even in the face of challenging circumstances, but, over all, it’s a workmanlike film, with the potential of its longitudinal aspect largely unexplored in favor of an overuse of the kids’ performances and timeworn developments like the US trip.