Afronauts written and directed by nuotama bodomo its july 16, 1969. Oct, 2016 this years short film ominibus collective. Her following short, afronauts which shes now turning into a. A world war ii veteran and school teacher, nkoloso founded the zambia national academy of science, space research and philosophy and conscripted twelve.
Mar 11, 2017 i first encountered nkoloso in a work of art that tries to imagine a different outcome. Brooklyn museum to screen black queer films every thursday in. She enjoys attending rocket launches, stargazing, and douglas adams books. The story of nkolosos afronauts seems to inspire or entertain people more these days than in the 1960s. Frances bodomo and larissa sansour create poetic and fantastical extraterrestrial missions as alternative narratives to existing space programs, in order to explore, respectively, the tenuousness of. With diandra forrest, yolonda ross, hoji fortuna, chester algernal gordon. Apr 22, 2014 bodomos 2012 short boneshaker starred oscar nominee quvenzhane wallis and afronauts earned bodomo a spot in the 2014 new directorsnew films. Farther along, frances bodomos enchanting afronauts of 2014, a d. Inspired by a forgotten footnote in the cold war history of the space race, frances bodomo imagines a ragtag team of zambian rocket scientists scrambling to beat the americans to the moon in june of 1969. Nuotama frances bodomo born 1988 is a ghanaian filmmaker, writer and director. Nov 04, 20 afronauts is based on the documentation of an impossible dream that only lives in the pictures. An ingenious group of zambian villagers builds a homemade rocket in a wild bid to put the first african woman on the moon. The rocket never took off, but decades later director frances bodomos short film takes a look at what the zambian space program might have looked like. In 2018, bodomo was a writer and director on random acts of flyness, an hbo series created by terence nance.
This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. Jan 29, 2016 ghanaian filmmaker frances bodomos beautifully shot short film, afronauts, tells an alternative history of the nineteen sixties zambian space program, the brainchild of edward makuka nkoloso. Frances bodomos 2014 short film depicts what was happening thousands of miles away, where the zambia space academy hopes to beat america to the moon. Brooklyn museum to screen black queer films every thursday. My friend sent me a link to frances bodomos short film afronauts 2014. On july 16, 1969, america prepares to launch apollo 11. Frances bodomos fictionalized short film about the afronauts. Brian mccomber afronauts oohsounds composer of film music and drummer distinguished for artists such as bjork, dirty projectors, st. Unconscious 2016, afronauts 2014 and boneshaker 20. She grew up in ghana, norway, california, and hong kong before moving to new york to study film at columbia university and nyus tisch school of the arts.
The astronaut is a 17yearold girl who has to be the first to set. The astronaut is a 17yearold girl who has to be the first to set foot on the moon along with her two cats. Several of the writerdirectors of his show are women, including frances bodomo, the awardwinning filmmaker behind afronauts and boneshaker. Afronauts is based on the documentation of an impossible dream that only lives in the pictures. In 2014, ghanaian filmmaker frances bodomos short film afronauts was released. Oct 03, 2014 a thread of surrealism runs through several of the sundance selections, most notably frances bodomos 12minute afronauts. Afronauts the race to the moon was not just a fierce competition between the united states and the soviet union the newly independent country of zambia also dreamed up an ambitious space program, initiated by a teacher who applied for unesco funding for a private project. So here are seattle times staffers picks for some of. Frances bodomos 2014 short film depicts what was happening thousands of miles away, where the zambia space. Bodomo spoke after a recent screening at the graham foundation about how images from archival footage must exist for these moments to live on in cultural memory. Bodomo spoke after a recent screening at the graham foundation about how images from. Meteoric realities nka journal of contemporary african. Space is the place screens with afronauts 2014, dir. Frances bodomo will screen her extraordinary afronauts and discuss it afterwards.
A thread of surrealism runs through several of the sundance selections, most notably frances bodomos 12minute afronauts. Just after zambian independence in 1964, an ingenious group of villagers builds a homemade rocket in a wild bid to join the space race. I start from a real fact that took place 50 years ago and rebuild the documents adapting them to. Bodomo is currently developing the feature version of afronauts, which is supported by the. Pumzi breath in swahili by kenyan film director wanuri kahiu.
This meditative fourchannel film and art installation reflects on the pursuit of health and wellbeing at the root of how life, breath, joy, and pain manifest in black experience from cradle to grave. Nuotama bodomo was born on february 9, 1988 in accra, ghana. Help us create the kind of literary community youve always dreamed of. Films in this program take up spacetime travel, the necessary but super dangerous mission to locate a better black future via white technologies and genres.
Jun 30, 2015 afronauts on july 16, 1969, america prepares to launch apollo 11. With all of the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the moon landings going on, nuotama frances bodomos strange little film, afronauts, which is inspired by the zambian space. Diving into movie palaces of the mind at the whitney the. Happy birthday marsha reina gossett and sasha wortzel, postproduction, 4 min. The story of the first afronaut, a 17yearold zambian girl training for a moon launch. Vincent, doudou n diaye rose, solange, david byrne, brian. Ghanaian filmmaker frances bodomos beautifully shot short film, afronauts, tells an alternative history of the nineteen sixties zambian space program, the brainchild of.
Sep 04, 2019 as nuotama frances bodomos short film afronauts debuts online, the director discusses decentering hero narratives and the weaponizing of reality against african stories. The afronauts by middel abebooks shop for books, art. Set on july 16, 1969, as america is launching the apollo 11 moon. The afronauts in 1964 a zambian science teacher named edwuard makuka decided to train the first african crew to travel to the moon. Ghanaian filmmaker frances bodomo s beautifully shot short film, afronauts, tells an alternative history of the nineteen sixties zambian space program, the brainchild of edward makuka nkoloso. The race to the moon was not just a fierce competition between the united states and the soviet union the newly independent country of zambia also.
Frances bodomo is raising funds for afronauts on kickstarter. From metube to the moon, short films with a personal point. She grew up in ghana, norway, california, and hong kong before moving to new york to study. Set on july 16, 1969, as america is launching the apollo 11. Her following short, afronauts which shes now turning into a feature is an even bolder success, a hallucinatory fusion of history, science, political critique, and imaginative fantasy. Jul 19, 2019 afronauts online july 19, 2019 cheryl with all of the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the moon landings going on, nuotama frances bodomos strange little film, afronauts, which is inspired by the zambian space programme, has been made available online. In 2014, ghanaian filmmaker frances bodomo s short film afronauts was released. A short presented at the berlinale and a photographic book narrate the. Bodomo spoke after a recent screening at the graham foundation about. As nuotama frances bodomos short film afronauts debuts online, the director discusses decentering hero narratives and the weaponizing of. She is a writer and director, known for collective. A ragtag group is trying to launch a moon rocket to beat the american apollo 11.
Parsing the real and unreal stories of the zambian space academy. Frances bodomo discusses her films boneshaker and afronauts, how. From metube to the moon, short films with a personal point of. And a ragtag group of zambian exiles are trying to beat america to the moon. His plan was to use an alluminium rocket to put a woman, two cats. Parsing the real and unreal stories of the zambian space. Frances bodomo and larissa sansour create poetic and fantastical extraterrestrial missions as alternative narratives to existing space programs, in order to explore, respectively, the tenuousness of zambian and palestinian national identity. A world war ii veteran and school teacher, nkoloso founded the zambia national academy of science, space research and philosophy and conscripted twelve astronauts into the countrys race to the moon, including matha mwambwa, a seventeenyearold girl who eventually become the programs lead cadet. Nuotama frances bodomo is a ghanaian filmmaker, writer and director. It is set in 1969 on the eve of the apollo 11 launch.
Afronauts by new york writer frances bodomo, inspired by the true story of the shortlived space programme. Vincent, doudou n diaye rose, solange, david byrne, brian mccomber makes us discover via sa bo for the short film afronauts, by ghanaian director nuotama frances bodomo, an unknown part of space history. Dec 01, 2016 farther along, frances bodomos enchanting afronauts of 2014, a d. Two epic love stories for black history month, and every. Bodomo is about to begin production on a fulllength version of the film. I first encountered nkoloso in a work of art that tries to imagine a different outcome. Her short film afronauts has premiered at the sundance. Jul 16, 2019 frances bodomo is raising funds for afronauts on kickstarter.