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Nambian Premiere: "Toussaint Louverture" Opening the 2015 Season
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Event information
| 1-5 Fidel Castro Street Windhoek |
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Toussaint Louverture is a two-part action epic film of the life of Haitian revolutionary Toussaint Louverture who led the first and only successful slave revolt in the history of the world.
Do not miss this entertaining, exciting and enriching film.
*This screening is in 2 parts. There will be a 10 minute intermission between the screenings and a special ticket price.
“Director Philip Niang craftfully weaves the dynamic story of this emblematic and universal hero in a comprehensive, two-part drama, keeping you on the edge of your seat (...) This is a must-see for people of all origins.” Suzanne Gregoire, The Sentinel
The film is the long overdue first fiction ever made about the man who, born into slavery, became a General in the French army and even defied Napoleon’s power by making his homeland, Haïti, the first independent Black State in the world, an abolitionist and anti-colonialist State. In three hours, director Philippe Niang draws a breathtaking historical epic which perfectly translates the complex personality of the hero of Haitian independence and of the liberation of Black peoples.
We are at the end of the 18th century. The French revolution is brewing. All parts of the French territory are affected. An island, Saint-Domingue which will later become Haïti, thanks to one man, will take its destiny into its own hands. This man is Toussaint Louverture. A strong character imbued by democratic convictions and convinced by the values and potential new benefits of the nascent republic, he joins France after having fought with the Spanish, the British and after having refused the alliance with the American States. Some years later, he will even defy Napoleon’s power and will enable his homeland, Haïti, to become the first independent Black State in the world, an abolitionist and anti-colonialist State. From his prison at Fort de Joux, it is himself who will analyse with wisdom his own behaviour in the context of each situation. Not easy for this man who had to take and assume alone his often difficult decisions in an ambiguous historic and political context… Here is the story of a man who fought all his life against colonialism and slavery.
The success of Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian Revolution shook the worldwide institution of slavery and dealt a major blow to the doctrine of white supremacy.
Starrs:
Jimmy Jean-Louis (Heroes, Phat Girlz) Aïssa Maïga (Bamako), Sonia Rolland (Midnight In Paris), and Hubert Koundé (The Constant Gardener).
Awards:
- Best Film Award, Pan African Film, Los Angeles (USA), 2012
- People’s Choice award, Pan African Film, Los Angeles (USA), 2012
- Best Actor Award (Jimmy Jean-Louis), Pan African Film, Los Angeles (USA), 2012
- Special Mention from the Jury, Festival Vues d’Afrique, Montréal (Québec), 2012
- Notre Afrik Award for Best Actor (Jimmy JEAN-LOUIS), Festival Vues d’Afrique, Montréal (Québec), 2012
- Best Diaspora Film Award, The Africa Movie Academy Awards (Oscars Africains), Lagos/NIGERIA, 2012
- People’s Choice Award, Trinidad &Tobago Film Festival
- Best Actor Award (Jimmy JEAN-LOUIS), Trinidad &Tobago Film Festival
- Best Director Award (Philippe NIANG), Boston(USA), The Motion Picture Association of Haïti, 2012
- Best Film Award, New York (USA), The People’s Film Festival, 2013.
- Special Mention for Best Director (Philippe Niang), Festival International du film de Zanzibar (ZIFF), 2012
Director: Philippe Niang
After studying in Nice, France, and in Paris at the prestigious IDHEC (High Cinematographic Studies Institute), Philippe Niang became an assistant for television. Thereafter, he directed many documentaries, and then his first features, being also the screenwriter for TV programs including “Mammy Mamours”, shot in Senegal, and “Gaffe Loulou !”, for which he won the Golden Angel award at the International Film Festival of Nice. As a director and screenwriter, Philippe Niang's efforts include directing French actor Guy Marchand in an episode from the TV series “Nestor Burma”, creating the famous TV series “Josephine, the Guardian Angel”, writing “A Black Baby in a White Cradle” (selected in the TV Festival of Luchon) as well as “The Big Brothers”, among many others. Another landmark in Philippe Niang's career was his meeting the two producers of Eloa Prod, France Zobda and Jean-Lou Monthieux, with whom he shares many convictions; for them, he wrote and directed “Prohibited Love” (selected in the FESPACO - Pan African Film Festival of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso; in the African Diaspora International Film Festival in New York; and in the Vues d’Afrique film festival in Montreal) and “Toussaint Louverture”. And to share all this experiences, he teaches at CEEA : Conservatoire Européen d’Ecriture Audiovisuelle.
African Perspectives, a monthly African Cinema series in Windhoek, organised by AfricAvenir since 2006, is supported by AfriCine, JacMat, the Franco Namibian Cultural Centre, Goethe-Centre/Nads, and Turipamwe Designs.