Africa at the Oscars
Ivory Coast
The west african country is one of the main producers of film along with senegal and burkina faso.Traveling moviemakers went from village tovillageto village showcasing film shorts and newsreels,providing entertainment and education to the local people.Alas by the forties through the late fifties movies were absent especially since the introduction of television.Funding was made available by the french government after independence but that investment didn’t work out.Things started to look up eventually with the made for tv film called Korogo by Georges Keita. From there, outputs increased including films such as Concerto Pour un Exil (1968)adapted from Desire Ecaré’s writings. Ivory Coast’s film industry again begin to decline marked by the threat of civil war noted by 2001. Hopefully the 2014 release of Phillip Lacote’s Run will re energize their waning cinematic industry.
Noirs et Blanc en Couleur or Black and White in Color ( Jean-Jacques Annaud, 1976) is a dark comedy that disapproves of military values. It details Germans at war against France amid World War I in West Africa-Togo and Gabon to be exact.The films tears the french(the Germans as well but the latter more so) apart(comically speaking) in terms of ridicule. On a serious note the title of the picture I think symbolizes the deep ignorance by the colonizers about the stark reality of violence that is accompanied by war. It received the 1976 Academy award for Ivory Coast which to this day is the sole one in the African country. Hey, at least they have one.
Reasons to watch
- Bitingly witty and amusing.
- Contains a great plot and has remarks the triviality of human nature overall.
- The film has aged wonderfully and still remains relevant today.
- If you enjoy spoofs on the absurdities of war, (Duck Soup, Leo McCarey, 1933) this is your film gals and gents.
The whole film for you below.
What film do you think will win this year’s Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars?
Have you seen any of these African films? Watch at least one, come back, I would love to know your thoughts! Please share your comments below.
