Africa

Braving solo existence in the sky, bush pilots are often the adventurers that link the lonely inhabitants of distant lands. Soaring above the few wild places left on our planet - across endless deserts, tangled jungles, jagged mountains, treacherous plains of ice - these unique pioneers serve as doctors, missionaries, and communication links for their "neighbours" residing in desolate regions.

The Kanaga mask is used in deeply sacred rituals by the Dogon people of Mali. Carving this mask is as important a ritual as the ceremonies in which the mask is used. The carver, a blacksmith, finds the proper tree and, in a secret cave outside the village, he shapes the mask with gestures which repeat the movement of the dancers who will wear it. When a dancer wears the Kanaga mask he becomes the Creator symbolically. He touches the ground with his mask and directs a soul to Heaven. Although these dances are now frequently performed for the public, the meaning of Kanaga is retained by the Dogon who fear, respect and depend on the power of the mask.

Siaka Diabaté is a musician at Bouaké, the second largest town in the Côte d'Ivoire. Through his mother's family he is Senufo, but through his father's ancestry he considers himself a Mande griot. He is a multi-talented professional musician, and for the local festivals plays five instruments: the Senufo and Maninka balafons, the kora harp, the dundun drum and the electric guitar. This film shows Siaka playing in the group led by Soungalo Coulibaly before his death in 2004, including the use of jembe drums, which we also see being made. Using long continuous shots that give priority to the music and to what Siaka and Soungalo have to say, this documentary introduces the audience to a fascinating world of urban music that incorporates traditional songs and dances by griots.

Short documentary by Giovanni Vento.

Amateur film of scenes in South Africa. Opens on a house (residency), then landscape views from a train, city buildings and streets (possibly Durban), agricultural workers with oxen ploughing a field, group riding on a donkey cart, sunset, views of the Union Buildings at Pretoria, industrial scenes, desert landscapes, coastal scenes, ends on birds flying over the sea.

"An Introduction" provides an overview of disc content, featuring film historians Jacqueline Najuma Stewart and Charles Musser.

"The End of an Era" closes out the Pioneers of African-American Cinema set with additional thoughts from Jacqueline Najuma Stewart.

"About the Restoration" provides an overview of the recovery effort, hosted by Bret Wood. Also of interest are examples of movie making mistakes that remain in the pictures, with disc producers resisting the urge to correct these admittedly humorous issues.

"Religion in Early African-America Cinema" returns to Charles Musser & Jacqueline Najuma Stewart, who offers historical perspective on depictions and criticism of faith in the collected films.

Documentary about African Music performed in Berlin.

A tour of Tunis, Algiers and Rabat in the 1930s.

The story of a little girl with dreams big enough for a whole country. This African Life is seen through the eyes of Sokona Keita, who reveals harsh realities in a West African village, even as she expresses optimism for her future. Nana Kenieba has a school and a clean well, and that makes it better off than most villages in Mali, one of the poorest countries in the world. Sokona takes the viewer on an inside tour of the town, and unveils the lives of the women and children who struggle with daily survival.

Kirby, Davis and Drover escort the wanted criminal Rene Carvel from central Africa to the coast, stopping every so often to watch wild animals attack one another.

From Focus Features comes Africa First: Volume One, a joyous collection of innovative and original short films from around the African continent.

This is the story of the rise and fall of one of the legendary forces of warfare. During its brief existence, the Afrika Korps forced the Allied forces ranged against it into a for war of attrition, thereby cementing its place in the annals of military history. The Afrika Korps will be forever associated with its brilliant commander Erwin Rommel, the Desert Fox of legend.