French 370 - Sem: Africa: the Last Cinema

With the rest of the world, in 1995 filmmakers from the whole African continent met in Ouagadougou, to celebrate the Century of world cinema. This also gave African filmmakers an opportunity to reflect on their 30 years of film practice. Today, only a year after most former French colonies in Africa have celebrated the 50th anniversary of their independence, African cinema is also entering its fifties. This course will introduce students to a half a century of African cinema with a special attention to its history and its search for survival and self identity within world cinema.

Prereq: 12 credits including two courses at the advanced level