40. Black International Cinema Berlin 2025 Anniversary Production

Welcome to the 40. Black International Cinema Berlin 2025 Anniversary Production! 🎥 Join us at Rathaus Schöneberg from November 21-22 , 6:00 - 11:30 PM and November 23, 4:00 - 11:30 PM (Europe/Berlin Timezone) for three days of celebration and cultural appreciation. Under the theme Peace! Now! Always! Please!, the festival celebrates four decades of intercultural exchange, creativity, and commitment to peace. An inspiring anniversary dedicated to film, art, and a more humane world. See you there!

Info: OPENING CEREMONY | Presenters: Prof. Donald Muldrow Griffith, Berlin/USA, Co-Founder/Producer/Publisher/Director/Curator/Moderator/Choreographer, Fountainhead® Tanz Théâtre / Black International Cinema Berlin / „Footprints in the Sand?“ ExhibitionBerlin / THE COLLEGIUM – Forum & Television Program Berlin / Cultural Zephyr e.V. and Guests (tba), Musical Performance: MFA Kera, Mike Russell, Fuasi Abdul Khaliq

Info: A MAN WITHOUT LIMITS | Producers: Donald Muldrow Griffith/Fountainhead® Tanz Théâtre
& Polish Television, Director: Dr. Ntongela Masilela, Documentary, Color, 36 min., Poland/Germany 1986-1988, English *** Documents Europe’s first Historical 3 week Black Cultural Festival, produced and directed by Fountainhead® Tanz Théâtre in Berlin, 1986. The Festival included the first presentation of the Black International Cinema Film-Video Festival. “A Man Without Limits“ was awarded “Best Film“ in 1988 by the Polish Commission for Film Arts. Narration: Prof. Donald Muldrow Griffith

Info: THE LAST PHILADELPHIA | Director: John Carstarphen, Narrative, Color, 93 min., USA 2025, English *** A modern history of America’s first city as told through the eyes of Black families who came of age during America’s 200th birthday, the Bicentennial, in 1976. “The Last Philadelphia” is poised to become a groundbreaking feature film: one of the first, if not the very first film in America, to vie for an Oscar with extensive use of AI imagery and video for powerful historical re-creations of Black American history.

Info: AMORES NA PASAJEN / LOVE IN TRANSIT | Director: Daniele Ellery, Documentary, Color, 18 min., Brazil 2025, Portugues with English subtitles *** Brazilian and Guinean women discuss their intercontinental and interracial relationships, discussing the diverse meanings of love as a „political action“ and a means of social change. Identity, racial, and gender conflicts are explored.

Info: UMA MEMÓRIA EMPLUMADA / A FEATHERED MEMORY | Director: Ida Does, Documentary, Color, 57 min., The Netherlands 2025, English, Potuguese and Dutch with English subtitles *** In the Mauritshuis in The Hague, Brazilian Indigenous artist and activist Daiara Tukano paints a monumental mural that bridges past and present, from the colonial legacy of Johan Maurits of Nassau to the living knowledge of the Amazon’s Indigenous people. Her art resonates with the story of the Tupinambá feather mantle, taken from Brazil centuries ago and recently returned.

Info: 10.55 pm | 22.55 Uhr: ENTRE NÓS E O SILÊNCIO / BETWEEN US AND SILENCE | Directors: Brenda Akele Jorde & David-Simon Groß, Documentary, Color, 14 min., Germany 2024, Portuguese with English sutitles *** In „Entre Nós e o Silêncio“ (“Between Us and Silence”), we dive into the intimate world of Yara, a young Mozambican woman who breaks free from her mental health struggles.

Info: 11.10 pm | 23.10 Uhr: I SEE YOU SISTER | Director: Christene Browne, Experimental, Color/B/W, 11 min., Canada 2025, English *** “I See You Sister” is a short experimental animated film that pays tribute to the lives, struggle, strength, tenacity, and beauty of Black women through time and the ages. It is an immersive lament and emotional exploration of what it means to be a Black woman in the world today.

Info: 11.20 pm | 23.20 Uhr: DRAW! | Director: Ron Gilbert, Narrative, Color, 12 min., USA 2023, English *** An homage to classic Western movies. A woman finds an unexpected way to take revenge on a man from her past who committed date rape against her.

Info: 6.00 pm | 18.00 Uhr: INTRODUCTION: MAHIDE LEIN *** SCHICK MIR MAL NE POSTKARTE / SEND ME A POSTCARD SOMETIME, Directors: Mahide Lein & Sue Pakaipei Maluwa-Bruce, Documentary, Color, 62 min., Zimbabwe 1996, English, Shona, Ndebele, Tonga *** A kaleidoscope of Mahide’s first journey to Africa, Zimbabwe 1996, featuring contributions from women artists with music, poetry, performances, lesbian and gay projects, sex workers, and women’s initiatives.

Info: DANCING IN THE DARK | Director: JohnMark Triplett, Narrative, Color, 5 min., USA 2025, English *** On a Neon Noir alternate Earth, Lou Draws is an R&B musician whose glory days may have passed. But when Lou meets Vallerina, he learns that the hopes of a man and the needs of an artist don’t always coincide. “Dancing in the Dark” is chapter three of the visual album VALLERINA by Lou Draws. | 7.25 pm | 19.25 Uhr: FROM BOX TO CAJÓN: PETA'S HERITAGE | Director: Eve A. Ma, Documentary, Color, 30 min., USA/Peru 2025, Spanish with English subtitles *** In this inspiring film, prize-winning African Peruvian percussionist Peta Robles explains the origins of key African Peruvian percussion instruments including most importantly the cajón, an instrument that is now used in many musical forms from Spanish flamenco to Latin jazz and beyond. ...

Info: 8.00 pm | 20.00 Uhr: THE EVOLUTION OF AFRICAN DANCE | Director: Steven Foley, Documentary, Color, 70 min., USA 2021, English with German subtitles *** This film explores specific dance moves from their origins in Africa and connects them to cultural prominence and significance in the United States and throughout the African Diaspora.
Featured Artists: Chloé and Maud Arnold, Dr. Michelle Flowers-Taylor, Jade Solomon Curtis, Lula Washington, Professor Moncell Durden, Titus Fotso.

Info: 9.10 pm | 21.10 Uhr: A PEACE OF ART | Director: Olad Aden, Documentary, Color, 69 min., Germany 2025, German and English with German subtitles *** „A Peace of Art“ is a documentary film about a ten-day intercultural exchange in New York City between young artists from Berlin, Paris, and New York City. The film captures the artists collaborating on music, dance, and visual arts while addressing social and political themes like racism, police violence, and populism. It highlights how creativity can be a form of resistance and a universal language. Following: Conversation with Olad Aden, Moderation: Prof. Donald Muldrow Griffith, Performance: Hip Hop and Rappin´ at the Festival

Info: 4.00 pm | 16.00 Uhr: COMMENT | Director: Ali Sokhangoo, Narrative, Color, 13 min., Iran 2025, Persian with English subtitles *** A man threatens and humiliates a female actress on social media. The woman discovers his home address, goes to his house and confronts him. ***** 4.13 pm | 16.13 Uhr: THE REHEARSAL | Director: Deborah Sfez, Documentary, Color/B/W, 48 min., Cote D’Ivoire 2025, English *** A childhood memory becomes a prediction of a future tragic event in Africa, therefore it is perceived as a rehearsal of misfortune in adult life. ***** 5.00 pm | 17.00 Uhr: HOME | Director: Sattar Chamanigol, Documentary, Color, 63 min., England 2025
Persian with English subtitles *** “They took my children away in the same way. That night, I came here and sat in the rain. A few months later, the court declared that I was not fit to raise my children. It was terrible when they were taken from me. Just imagine – all of my children crying at the same time.”

Info: 6.10 pm | 18.10 Uhr: Weltfilme/Moving Beyond: THE FOOTBALL CARPENTER | Directors: Sartie Sheriff & Zachariah Lloyd Sesay, Participants: Theresa Honnah, Aminata Drynie Bockarie, Mohamed Tarawally, Abu Bakarr Conteh, Mohamed Rogers, Emmanuel Abu, Ibrahim Nyakeh Sheriff, Aminata Bangura, and Mohamed Rogers, Narrative, Color, 19 min., Sierra Leone 2025, Krio with English subtitles *** Musa is seen as a great young talent on the soccer field. But his father envisions a secure future for him in his carpentry shop. When the team desperately needs money for an important tournament, Musa makes a fateful pact: He will earn the money working in his father’s craft. While his gaze wanders longingly to the soccer field, Musa embarks on his father’s traditional path. Along the way, he suddenly makes unexpected discoveries about his previously hidden desires and abilities.

Info: 6.30 pm | 18.30 Uhr: Weltfilme/Moving Beyond: TIDES OF CHANGE | Director: Othello Zordyu, Participants: Jenneh Nyumah, Augustine G. Kessellie, Joseph F. Doe, Prince Goffa, Lawtience Kieh, Obed James, Cutis Crayton, Emmanuel Smith, and Ruth Dahn, Documentary, Color, 13 min., Liberia 2025, English and Pidgin English with English subtitles *** “Tides of Change” is a deeply personal documentary that explores the harsh realities of climate change through the eyes of a coastal fishing community in Liberia. Set in Badawreh Town, the film captures the dramatic impact of sea erosion – a growing threat that is displacing families and dismantling a way of life rooted in tradition and resilience. At the heart of the story is John Yorcee, a passionate and determined fisherman. What can one man do against the relentless advance of the ocean?

Info: 6.43 pm | 18.43 Uhr: Weltfilme/Moving Beyond: OSUSU MASTER | Director: Mohamed Janneh, Participants: Papa Edwin Shaw, Baimba Kamara, Ibrahim Wiliam, Prince Karteh, Dorcas Mariekiekie Omotorla Bright, Emma Dylan, Mohamed N. Conteh, Emile Jimmy Bangura, Marian S. Kamara, and David Kamara, Narrative, Color, 30 min., Sierra Leone 2025, Krio with English subtitles *** The widow Massah wants to secure an internship abroad for her son, but for this she needs a letter of recommendation from her influential brother-in-law Hassan. In return, he demands a loan for his election campaign. Secretly, Massah takes the hard-earned savings of her women’s group for this. When Hassan is unable to return the money, she has to publicly admit her guilt. Can she restore the unity among the women so that they can stand together against her brother-in-law?

Info: 7.30 pm | 19.30 Uhr: ORANGO | Director: Samuel Kay Forrest, Documentary, Narrative, Experimental, Color, 94 min., Guinea-Bissau/Germany/Brazil 2024, English, Portuguese and Creole with English subtitles *** Eny, a reclusive painter living in Berlin, and his sister Titina embark on a journey through West Africa. After 17 years of exile from Guinea-Bissau and the passing of their mother, they return to explore the land of their ancestors and the silence left behind.

Info: 9.15 pm | 21.15 Uhr: BLACK PEOPLE / BLACK BERLIN | Director: Prof. Donald Muldrow Griffith, Documentary, Color, 67 min., Germany 1994, English *** This documentary was created prior to the fall of the Berlin wall. Interviews were conducted with members of the Berlin African Diaspora: Black Germans, Black Americans and Black Africans, regarding issues of social, political, economic, cultural, intercultural marriage, refugee status and their hopes and dreams for the future. The interviewees: Johnetta Page/U.S.A., Mona Agbaje/Swaziland, Robert Harrel/U.S.A., Magumba/St. Kitts, Dr. Mahoma Mwaungulu/Malawi, Alycia Jones/U.S.A., May Opitz Ayim/Germany and Ifatayo Ifayemi/Germany.

Info: 10.22 pm | 22.22 Uhr

STEPPING: BEYOND THE LINE
Director: Dee Garceau
Documentary, Color, 43 min.
USA 2011
English

Dancers stomp out a rhythm on the floor and on the body, expressing identities and struggles, hopes and dreams. Their movements tell of conflict in the segregated South, brotherhood and sisterhood in the long climb upward. Stepping bridges past and present with verve and precision, drawing from folk traditions like the ring shout, playing the dozens, handclap games, and military jodies. The history of this dance form reaches back to West African cultural roots, the experience of slavery in North America, the era of Black institution-building in the Jim Crow South, Black military service in World Wars I and II, and Civil Rights protests. Interviews with steppers and historians, archival images, energetic footage of step practices and shows, reveal a performative culture grounded by a deep sense of social responsibility.

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