PULP regulars can expect a unique change in their movie schedule this week.
The popular cinema in the Neelsie has signed on as the official venue for the Africa World Documentary Film Festival (AWDFF), a week-long event that kicked off on Monday.
Partnering with AWDFF is a first for PULP, which has previously hosted only two other festivals: Shnit Worldwide Shortfilmfestival and Woordfees.
“Certain festivals are good for us. Something like an African Documentary festival fits us like a glove,” says Werner de Swardt, the cinema manager.
Now in its 11th year, the US-based festival is broad in scope and features over 40 films of varying length. It aims to boost the “knowledge and culture of the people of Africa, in a Pan-African context,” according to the official website.
The Africa World Documentary Film Festival screens selected documentaries continuously throughout the year at various international venues. PHOTO: AWDFF.
“AWDFF is committed to promoting documentary films that centre on the “African world”—that is a universal concept as African people are dispersed all over the globe,” says ‘Niyi Coker, Jr., the festival director.
“As a result, [audiences] will see that our documentaries are made by filmmakers on the African continent, the USA, South America, the Caribbean, Asia, the Middle East and even the Pacific Islands.”
Screenings for the AWDFF are free and open to the public despite PULP normally being a members only establishment.
The AWDFF may be a first for PULP, but it is certainly not new to the town. Screenings were held in 2013 and 2014 in Stellenbosch with the help of Dr. Julia Cain, a lecturer in Film Studies.
Dr. Cain was not involved in arranging the 2018 run, but she strongly encourages locals to come out and show their support this year, emphasizing the value of non-fiction storytelling.
“In this day and age, where we’re in the post-fact era, I think documentary has a really important role to play. It’s an increasingly popular medium globally. I think there’s a hunger for real African stories and African voices. Not just stories from the continent but from other parts of the world. People are interested in hearing different perspectives,” she says.
An upcoming highlight is a special screening of Coker’s own film Ota Benga: Human at the Zoo, a story about a Congolese man who in 1905 was transported to the United States as part of an experiment to test the Darwinian theory of evolution. He was put on display at the World’s Fair in Saint Louis and then exhibited at the Bronx Zoo alongside primates. Coker will host a discussion after the premiere screening on Saturday evening.
Both PULP and the AWDFF expressed a desire to continue their partnership in future.