Join hosts Roopa Gogineni and the Lopez Library on Thursday, August 7th at 6 pm at the LCCA for a profound evening of film “Night School”
Join us for an evening of cinema and a conversation on mutual aid and storytelling.
The Senegalese writer and filmmaker Ousmane Sembène (1923-2007) once described cinema as “the people’s night school.” This tradition lives on in Sudan, where mobile cinemas emerged as vital spaces to gather, reflect and organize throughout decades of dictatorship, a revolution and now a devastating war. During this event, filmmaker Roopa Gogineni will share her experience setting up Night School Sudan, a network of film clubs in East Africa rooted in the Sudanese tradition of nafeer (collective action). Afterwards, we’ll watch a curated program of short documentaries showcasing diverse expressions of solidarity and mutual aid from around the world. The screening will be followed by a facilitated discussion.
Films to be screened:
Suddenly TV (Sudan, 18’) – directed by Roopa Gogineni
Amidst the revolution, a group of young Sudanese create an imaginary television station to meet fellow protestors at a besieged sit-in. What begins as play becomes an urgent conjuring of a new Sudan.
Neza Bazi Stables (United Kingdom, 19’) – directed by Farhaan Mumtaz and Roopa Gogineni
Neza Bazi, an ancient South Asian cavalry sport taken up by British colonial officers, has two distinct scenes in today’s UK. There is the national team (posh, tweed-wearing) and a quickly growing Pakistani British circuit at the heart of this documentary. Filmed over three summers at a Yorkshire stables, this immersive portrait is a record of empire, migration, and ultimately, a return to the land.
Mutirão (Brazil, 10’) – directed by Lincoln Péricles
A young girl narrates the history of the popular struggle for housing in the Capão Redondo favela (São Paulo) and the decisive role of women in the movement.