Wilmetta Toliver-Diallo

Celebrating its 19th year, Washington University’s African Film Festival excels at introducing “contemporary artistic production by African artists to American audiences, combating stereotypes.” Over the March 28 to 30 weekend, it will present seven short films and three narrative features, all less than two years old. From Senegal, Somalia, Nigeria, South Africa, Reunion, and Cameroon, they offer a diversity of cultures and issues, landscapes and languages. Succeeding technically and artistically, the films (and I have had the pleasure of watching all of them) dramatize insightful and poignant stories of personal and communal interaction, often against a political backdrop.