The 25th New York African Film Festival (NYAFF) has opened this week at the Film Society of Lincoln Center (FSLC), presented by FSLC and African Film Festival, Inc. (AFF).
Under the theme “25 Years of the New York African Film Festival,” the international film organizations pays homage to the pioneers of African cinema while marking the passing of the baton to a new generation of African visual storytellers who continue to transform and expand our understanding of the continent and its diaspora.
The festival runs through May 22 at FSLC and continues at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s BAMcinématek, and Maysles Cinema in Harlem, screening 75 films from 25 countries across the African Diaspora.
The films include Apolline Traoré’s award-winning tragicomedy, “Borders,” which speaks to migration as well as to African women’s struggles, in a timely echo of the #MeToo movement.
The film follows four businesswomen as they travel from Mali to Nigeria, supporting each other while battling sexism, violence and corruption. The film won three prizes at FESPACO, including the Paul Robeson Prize for the best film by a director from the African diaspora.
Borders screened with a short film dedicated to the memory of Burkinabé director Idrissa Ouedraogo, who passed away in February and was a mentor to Traoré.
For a complete list of this year’s films please visit
