Run, run! The Old World is Behind You: African Cinema | Med Hondo

“We must change the humiliating relation between dominating and dominated, between masters and slaves.

What Is Cinema For Us? (1979), Med Hondo.

This lecture was all about watching, experiencing and discussing one extraordinary, radical film: Soleil Ô. It was made by Med Hondo, the great pioneer of African cinema whose films were recently rediscovered and are appreciated anew.

We were very lucky to be joined by Brigitta Kuster. Brigitta edited several books on and by Med Hondo and provided us with contextualisation, engaged in the discussion and answered questions.

We started with a short introduction on Med Hondo’s views on filmmaking, watched the film and followed-up with the discussion. Prompted by themes and questions we shared our interpretations and deepened our understanding.

Soleil Ô (1970), 98 mins

A deeply political debut film by late Mauritian director Med Hondo, which earned him the Golden Leopard at the Locarno International Film Festival in 1970. Soleil Ô was also the inaugural restoration of the African Film Heritage Project (AFHP), a partnership project between the Pan African Federation of Filmmakers (FEPACI) (of which Med Hondo was an eminent member), Martin Scorsese’s The Film Foundation, and UNESCO to restore fifty African films of historical, cultural and artistic significance.

Synopsis: A native of Mauritania is delighted when he is chosen to work in Paris. However, he is disappointed when he sees racial inequity as blacks are relegated to manual labor while less skilled whites are given preferential treatment.

Med Hondo

Med Hondo (1935 – 2019) was a Mauritanian-born French director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. Considered a founding father of African cinema, he is known for his controversial films dealing with issues such as race relations and colonization.

Thanks to everyone for joining!