Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | Talal Afifi has worked for years to revive Sudanese cinema which has languished through decades of authoritarian rule. With the fall of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir, he sees new hope. Bashir’s Islamist-backed rule of 30 years had seen cinemas shuttered and US sanctions prevent imports of …
Read More »‘Black Panther’ continues stunning romp in movie theaters
Los Angeles, United States | AFP | “Black Panther” continued its record-setting romp this weekend, passing the half-billion-dollar mark in only its third week out in North America as it stayed on track to be one of the highest-grossing films ever, industry analysts said. The Disney/Marvel collaboration, starring Chadwick Boseman …
Read More »‘Black Panther’ again slays North American box office
Los Angeles, United States | AFP | Disney’s “Black Panther” sunk its claws into the top spot once again this weekend at the North American box office, taking an estimated $108 million, industry estimates showed Sunday. Following a record-shattering opening weekend — raking in $242.2 million — the frenzy to see …
Read More »Saudi Arabia lifts decades-long ban on cinemas
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | AFP | Saudi Arabia on Monday lifted a decades-old ban on cinemas, part of powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s far-reaching liberalisation drive that is shaking up the ultra-conservative Muslim kingdom. The government said it would begin licensing cinemas immediately and the first movie theatres are expected …
Read More »Bollywood superstars dazzle at India film awards
East Rutherford, United States | AFP |India’s biggest Bollywood stars led a triumphant celebration of dance, music and fashion at the International Indian Film Academy awards Saturday, cheered by thousands of ecstatic fans just outside New York. The five-hour show at an American football stadium in New Jersey, where the …
Read More »Hooray for… Kumawood! Ghana’s fastest filmmakers
Kumasi, Ghana | AFP | India has its Bollywood and Nigeria, Nollywood. Even New Zealand has a Wellywood. In Ghana, films made in Kumasi and the surrounding region go by a similar shorthand — Kumawood. The cultural heart of Ghana is about five hours’ drive from the more cosmopolitan coastal …
Read More »Daughter of Sudanese film legend preserves his legacy
Khartoum, Sudan | AFP | As she drove past an apartment complex on a street in Khartoum, Sara Jadallah turned silent. It was here that her late father, the legendary film-maker Jadallah Jubara, set up Sudan’s first private film studio in the 1970s. But in 2008, following an eight-year court …
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