MIAMI, March 3, 2022 – Miami Dade College’s (MDC) Koubek Center and the Spanish Cultural Center of Miami (CCEMIami) celebrate International Women’s Month by offering a selection of African films directed by women, part of the ELLAS SON CINE program of the Fundación Mujeres Por África based in Madrid, Spain. This presentation at the Koubek Center is the first time ELLAS SON CINE has been offered in the United States. All films will be subtitled in English and Spanish.
“For us at the Koubek Center, it is a great pleasure to celebrate the work of these African female directors,” said Melissa Messulam, General Manager of the Koubek Center. “They try to show the reality of women in their country, each in their own way, through different stories and in their own style.”
Curated by Guadalupe Arensburg, ELLAS SON CINE is the main program of the audiovisual project of the Women for Africa Foundation. Its main objective is to promote the knowledge and enjoyment of cinema directed by African women. The program, which celebrated its ninth edition last year, has screened 42 feature films and seven short films from 18 countries.
“Nommer 37” is a South African thriller that suggests a free version of Hitchcock’s classic “Rear Window,” directed by Nosipho Dumisa and Travis Taute.
“Adam,” directed by Maryam Touzani, tells the story of the encounter in Casablanca, Morocco, of a humble confectioner and her child with a pregnant girl who arrives at their door, looking for work and putting a roof over her head. “Adam” was chosen to be part of the official Un Certain Regard section of the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.
Meanwhile, in “Papicha,” a film directed by Mounia Meddour set in 1990s Algeria, for a young woman, organizing a fashion show becomes a courageous act of protest and rebellion against the radicals in power. “Papicha” was recognized as best debut work and actor revelation (Khoudri) at the Premios César; was official selection of the Un Certain Regard section at the 2019 Cannes Festival and won Best new director and the Audience Award at the 2019 Festival de Valladolid – Seminci.
PROGRAM
Friday March 18 @ 8PM – NOMMER 37
Nommer 37 (2018) – 110 min. – Sudáfrica
Remake of a short film of the same name. Trapped in his apartment, Randal Hendricks, who recently became a paraplegic, receives a gift from his girlfriend: a pair of binoculars. Randal owes a financial debt to Emmie, a business shark. When Randal sees a powerful criminal commit murder, he starts a blackmail operation. (FILMAFFINITY)
Directed by – Nosipho Dumisa, Travis Taute
Script – Nosipho Dumisa
Cast – Sandi Schultz, Deon Lotz, Irshaad Ally, Amrain Ismail-Essop, Monique Rockman
Genre – Thriller | Remake
Saturday March 19 @ 8PM – ADAM
Adam (2019) – 98 min. – Marruecos
Abla runs a humble bakery out of her home in Casablanca, where she lives alone with Warda, her 8-year-old daughter. Her routine, dictated by work and housework, is interrupted one day when someone knocks on her door. It’s Samia, a young, pregnant woman looking for a job and a roof over her head. The little girl is attracted to the newcomer from the very first moment, but her mother is initially opposed to welcoming the stranger into their home. Gradually, however, Abla’s determination gives way, and Samia’s arrival opens up the possibility of a new life for all three of them.
Directed by – Maryam Touzani
Script – Maryam Touzani, Nabil Ayouch
Cast – Lubna Azabal, Nisrin Erradi, Douae Belkhaouda, Aziz Hattab, Hasnaa Tamtaoui
Genre Drama / Friendship/ Family
Awards 2019: Festival de Cannes: Un Certain Regard (Official section)
2019 Festival de Valladolid – Seminci: Official section
Sunday March 20 @ 5PM – Papicha
Papicha (2019) – 106 min. – Argelia
Algeria, 1990s. Eighteen-year-old Nedjma, a student living in the university town of Algiers, dreams of becoming a stylist and refuses to let the tragic events of the Algerian civil war prevent her from leading a normal life and going out at night with her friend Wassila. At nightfall, she slips through the city’s wire fences with her best friends to go to the discotheque where she sells her creations to the ‘papichas’, the young Algerian girls. The political and social situation in the country continues to worsen. Nedjma refuses to accept the prohibitions of the radicals and decides to fight for her freedom and independence by organizing a fashion show.
Direction – Mounia Meddour
Script – Fadette Drouard, Mounia Meddour
Music – Rob
Cast – Marwan Zeghbib, Lyna Khoudri, Shirine Boutella, Amira Hilda Douaouda, Yasin Houicha, Zahra Manel Doumandji, Aida Ghechoud, Nadia Kaci, Meriem Medjkrane, Samir El Hakim, Khaled Benaissa, Abderrahmane Boudia, Malek Ghellamat, Ahmed Benaïssa, Amine Mentseur
Genre – Drama | Religion | Fashion | The 1990s | Feminism | Based on a true story
Awards 2019: Premios César: Best debut work and actor revelation (Khoudri)
2019: Cannes festival: Un Certain Regard (Sección oficial)
2019: Valladolid Festival – Seminci: Best new director and Audience Award
WHAT: ELLAS SON CINE – A selection of African films directed by women
WHEN: Friday and Saturday, March 18 – 19, at 8 p.m.
Sunday, March 20, at 5 p.m.
WHERE: MDC’s Koubek Center
2705 SW 3rd St, Miami, Fl 33135
FREE EVENT – RSVP: https://www.squadup.com/events/ellas-son-cine-film-festival-mujeres-por-africa-koubek-center
About the Koubek Center
A South Florida landmark with a long and rich history as a cultural hub, The Koubek Center is dedicated to building community through the arts. Over the past several decades, the Center has offered a variety of activities including workshops, art exhibitions, theater performances, literary readings, and concerts. It is a place for artists and local arts organizations to explore and experiment, engage in collaborations, and share their work with the community. The Koubek Center includes a 200-seat theater, an expansive garden, classrooms, and rehearsal and multi-use spaces. Built in 1929 by Austrian trader John J. Koubek as a gift to his wife, it was later donated to the University of Miami and acquired by Miami Dade College in 2011. For more information, visit www.koubekcenter.org.