To Repel Ghosts: Urban Tales from the African Continent

Beginning with an ambiguous science fiction story in Nairobi and ending with a recreation of the myth of Noah's ark in Cape Town, To Repel Ghosts: Urban Tales from the African Continent showcases remarkable and fiercely contemporary stories.

From the African Metropolis series, Kenyan Jim Chuchu's Homecoming casts a voyeur's obsession with the girl next door, blurring the lines between fantasy and reality, science fiction and fiction. South African Vincent Moloi's Berea is a compelling drama about the anxiety of an elderly gentleman totally disoriented by the radical urbanization of his neighbourhood. Jean-Michel Basquiat's voyage of spiritual atonement to the Ivory Coast shortly before his death is the inspiration for Ivoirian Philippe Lacôte's To Repel Ghosts, a captivating re-enactment of the artist's experience.

From the Focus Features Africa First series, Akosua Adoma Owusu offers Kwaku Ananse, a spellbinding, semi-autobiographical interpretation of a traditional Ghanaian folktale about coming to terms with multiple belongings, where the contemporary collides with the mythological in both content and form. Last but not least, Cape Town theatre company Isango Ensemble's new production Unogumbe-Noye's Fludde is a modern adaptation of a Benjamin Britten one-act opera on the myth of Noah and the flood, from the medieval Chester Mystery Cycle. Sung entirely in Xhosa, casting South African opera star Pauline Malefane as Noah, (a fantastic gender reversal), and set in Khayelitsha, one of South Africa's largest townships, Unogumbe is a striking metaphor for man's inhumanity to man. A stunning feat from the troupe whose U-Carmen eKhayelitsha was awarded the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival in 2005.

Rasha Salti

Jim Chuchu was born in Nairobi, Kenya. Homecoming (13) is his short film debut. Vincent Moloi is from South Africa. His films include A Pair of Boots and Bicycle (07) and Berea (13). Philippe Lacôte has directed the documentary Cairo Hours (02) and the short film To Repel Ghosts (13). Akosua Adoma Owusu is based in Ghana. Her directorial credits include the shorts Me broni ba (09), and Kwaku Ananse (13). Mark Dornford-May was born in the United Kingdom. He directed the feature U-Carmen eKhayelitsha (05) and the short Unogumbe-Noyes Fludde (13).