An annual open-air screening that brings together film lovers in Accra will feature two cinema classics and a diverse mix of film shorts this weekend.
Classics in the Park returns from 8 March with a screening of 1973 Senegalese drama film ‘Touki Bouki’ and 1978 Jamaican film Rockers, as well as 12 film shorts straddling the two days.
Rockers was written by Theodoros Bafaloukos and features several popular reggae artists including Burning Speak and Gregory Issacs. And ‘Touki Bouki', which means The Journey of the Hyena in Wolof, is directed by Djibril Diop Mambéty.
Each daily screening, at Akola Boni Par, Osu, lasts for an hour and films were selected from a pool of over 50 submissions from Africa and the Diaspora.
This year’s selection includes animations with stunning soundtracks, satire, and folklore-inspired myths captured in black and white.
The Africa Film Society programming team, which runs the screenings, said that the shorts, though very diverse, all reflect passion for people, poetry, and the planet.
"Expect documentaries that explore fading oceans and lost lakes, cinematic meditations on ancestors, gods, and grief, and breath-taking visual dreamscapes that remind us to fly free,” the team said.
Classics in the Park was established in 2016 by the African Film Society's founder Blitz Bazawule, who is best known for directing the films The Color Purple and The Burial of Kojo.
The Classics in the Park event is dedicated to reintroducing timeless African films to new generations of audiences, and ensuring that the continent’s rich cinematic legacy remains vibrant and influential.
Blitz said: "Classics in the Park continues to bring people together after nine years of its inception. That is the power of cinema and representation. As we continue to program the best films under African skies, we are eternally grateful to the community and volunteers that have made it all possible.”
Africa Film Society is a non-profit organisation dedicated to preserving Africa’s cinematic heritage, nurturing emerging talent, and cultivating audiences for African films. Through screenings, workshops, and community engagement, the organisation continues to champion the power of African storytelling.
Africa Film Society is set to extend the festival experience beyond the park, with additional screenings planned at its newly opened Africa Film Society space in the near future.
For more information, visit the African Film Society.
Listen to our podcast with African Film Society founder Blitz Bazawule.
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