African Film Festival, Inc.
[1] AFF's flagship program, the New York African Film Festival (NYAFF) was launched in 1993[2] under the banner of "Modern Days, Ancient Nights".It showcased classic and contemporary works including films such as Udju Azul di Yonta by Flora Gomes,[3] Yeelen by Souleymane Cissé, Kaddu Beykat by Safi Faye and Djibril Diop Mambéty's Badou Boy, among others.AFF has introduced to American audiences the works of many African filmmakers, including Abderrahmane Sissako,[6] Lupita Nyong'o,[7] Tunde Kelani[8] among others.The organization also hosts a National Traveling Series which consists of a package of short and feature films selected from the latest edition of the New York African Film Festival and is presented at institutions around the U.S.[9] AFF collaborates on year-round cultural and educational programs around New York City with city-based institutions and agencies such as Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture,[10] CityParks Foundation, Electronic Arts Intermix,[11] MoCADA, The Trust for Governors Island, Queens Museum and Bronx Museum of the Arts.Notable program attendees include, the late "Father of African Cinema", Ousmane Sembène, playwright, poet and Nobel Prize laureate, Wole Soyinka,[13] late singer and civil rights activist Miriam Makeba and singer, songwriter, actor, and social activist, Harry Belafonte.