African Perspectives: Youssou N’Dour: Return to Gorée on 27 March 2010

On Sat., 27. March 2010 at 19h AfricAvenir Windhoek in co-operation with Studio 77, Pro Helvetia Cape Town, Bank Windhoek Arts Festival, HEC, and FNCC presents in the series “African Perspectives” the movie Youssou N’Dour: Return to Gorée, a musical road movie telling the story of Senegalese singer Youssou N’Dour’s epic journey following the trail left by enslaved Africans and by the jazz music they invented. Entrance: 10,- N$.

Date: Sat., 27. March 2010
Time: 19h00
Venue: Studio 77
Entrance: 10,- N$

With a musical live performance by “TONETiC”.

Information about the film

Youssou N’Dour: Return to Gorée
Director: Pierre-Yves Borgeaud
Country: Senegal/Switzerland/Luxembourg
Year: 2006
Minutes:108
Language:English and French with English subtitles

Synopsis:
The musical road movie, Return to Gorée, tells of Senegalese singer Youssou N’Dour’s epic journey following the trail left by enslaved Africans and by the jazz music they invented.nYoussou N’Dour’s challenge is to bring back to Africa a jazz repertoire and to sing those tunes in Goree, the island that today symbolizes the slave trade and stands to commemorate its victims. Guided in his mission by the blind pianist Moncef Genoud, Youssou N’Dour travels across the United States of America and Europe. Accompanied by some of the world’s most exceptional musicians, they meet peoples and well known figures, and create, through concerts, encounters and debates, music which transcends cultural division.nFrom Atlanta to New Orleans, from New York to Bordeaux and Luxemburg the songs are transformed, immersed in jazz and gospel. But the day of their return to Africa is fast approaching and much remains to be done to be ready for the final concert…

Press Statements:
Conversations full of memorable words and what can only be called ‘genuineness’ push Youssou N’Dour: Return to Gorée into the realm of unforgetable filmmaking. (Jonathan Curiel, 19.09.2009, San Francisco Chronicle)

The serious undertones of the film are very real and played out with rapture. (Matthew Nestel, 03.09.2008, Boxoffice Magazine)

A wondrous trip with Africa’s greatest singer as he bonds with his musical brethren in the New World. (Louis Proyect, 29.08.2008, rec.arts.movies.reviews)nA picture which chillingly conveys a palpable sense of what being a direct victim of slavery might have felt like and why the fallout from that evil institution persists to this day like the proverbial ripples on a pond. (Kam Williams , 26.08.2008, NewsBlaze)

Points to Bourgeaud for not whitewashing the beautifully awkward moments of cultural misunderstanding. (Aaron Hillis, 27.08.2008, Village Voice)

Trace[s] influences and celebrate connections with tunes to make you tap and sway. (Jeannette Catsoulis, 29.08.2008, New York Times)

Awards:n

• Prix Suissimage/Société suisse des auteurs SSA – Nyon Visions du Réel Film Festival, Switzerland 2007
• Prix Best Documentary – Pan African Film & Art Festival, Los Angeles 2008
• Prix du public – Festival du Film Européen, Essonne(France)
• Prix du public – XXL EU Film Festival, Krems (Autriche)

nNominations:n

• Prix du Cinéma Suisse 2008, "Best Documentary" category

nFestivals:n

• ReelWorld Film Festival, Canada 2007
• Documentary Films Competition
• Nyon Visions du Réel Film Festival, Switzerland 2007 – International Competition
• Durban International Film Festival, South Africa 2007 – Documentary Competition
• Locarno International Film Festival 2007 – "Appelations Suisse" Section
• Melbourne International Film Festival, Australia 2007 – "Africa! Africa!" Spotlight
• Africa in the picture Film Festival, The Netherlands 2007
• DocBsAs FORUM for Producers and Directors From Latin America, Argentina 2007
• São Paulo International Film Festival, Brasil 2007
• London bfi Film Festival, UK 2007 – "World Cinema" Section
• In-Edit Film Festival in Barcelona – Spain 2007
• Festival Exil et Mémoire, Dakar, Senegal 2007
• Caravan To Africa, Korea 2007
• Pan African Film & Art Festival, Los Angeles 2008
• Festival du Film Européen, Essonne (France), 2008
• EU Film Festival, Krems (Autriche), 2008
• AFRICALA – Festival de Cine Africano de la Ciudad de México 2008
• Milan African, Asian and Latin American Film Festival, Italy 2008
• Festival de Cine Africano de Tarifa (FCAT), Spain 2008
• Amakula Kampala International Film Festival, Uganda 2008
• International Africa Festival, Germany 2008
• Africa On Screen Festival: South Africa 2008
• Festival de Granada Cines del sur, Spain 2008
• Cinema South Festival, Israel 2008
• Territorios In-Edit Cycle, Spain 2008
• Festival Gnaoua et Musiques du Monde, Maroc 2008
• Ciclo de Cine y Musica, Spain 2008
• Film and Art Festival – Two Riversides Poland 2008
• Programme Jazz et Cinéma Liège, Belgium 2008
• EU XXL DVD SCREENINGS, Austria 2008
• Au-delà de l’Europe, Germany 2008
• Bangkok World Film Festiva, Thailand 2008
• Sottodiciotto Filmfestival, Italy 2008
• Festival de Jazz de Madrid, Spain 2008
• Ethnomusicological Film Festival, Italy 2008
• Journées Cinématographiques de Carthage, Tunisia 2008
• Bangkok World Film Festival, 2008
• "Les Escales documentaires" Festival – Centre Culturel Français Saint-Exupéry de Libreville, Gabon 2008
• AfricAvenir, Berlin 2008
• Reprise "Au-delà de l’Europe" Film Festival par FilmInitiativ Köln e.V., Cologne 2009
• Museo Nazionale del Cinema, Turin 2009
• In-edit Film Festival in Puebla, Mexico 2009
• Special Screening Womad Cáceres, Spain 2009
• Reprise "Au-delà de l’Europe" Film Festival, Germany 2009
• Semaine du film documentaire organisée par le Centre Culturel Français à Abuja, Nigeria 2009

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