The North American premiere of London Recruits will take place at the New York African Film Festival in May 2024 and will be co-presented by OkayAfrica.
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OkayAfrica is co-presenting the North American premiere of the award-winning London Recruits.
London Recruits, set against the backdrop of the late 1960s and early 1970s during the height of apartheid, will have its North American premiere at the New York African Film Festival (NYAFF). The film follows an international group of students and workers in London who respond to Oliver Tambo’s covert call for undercover agents.
The film tells the story of the young men and women, some of whom did not make it home, who risked all to bring Tambo’s message of hope to his embattled people in South Africa. London Recruits won Best Documentary at the 2024 Joburg Film Festival, while Variety praised it as an, “Edge-of-your-seats documentary thriller. Jaw-dropping twists.”
The screening will take place on Wednesday, May 29, at 7:45 p.m. EST at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). OkayAfrica will co-present a post-screening Q&A panel featuring director Gordon Main and producers Jacintha de Nobrega and Colin Charles. Use the code FILMAFRICA24 for $5 off general priced tickets at africanfilmny.org.
Film at Lincoln Center, a nonprofit foundation that celebrates cinema and film culture, and African Film Festival, join forces for the New York African Film Festival — which, since its inception in 1993, has been at the forefront of showcasing African and diaspora filmmakers’ unique storytelling through the moving image. This year’s theme, “Convergence of Time,” explores the intersection of historical and contemporary roles played by individuals representing Africa and its diaspora in art.
Now in its 31st year, NYAFF will showcase 91 films from more than 30 countries.
This year’s Centerpiece is Perpetual Connections, a shorts program, while the Closing Night film is Dilli Dark by Dibakar Das Roy. Among the lineup are The Rhythm and The Blues starring Leon, Fight Like a Girl starring Ama Qamata (known for her role in Netflix’s Blood and Water) and the short film Love Taps, executive produced by Spike Lee. In a groundbreaking move, the festival will pair a dance illustration along with the screening of Making Men — a film that questions the notion of masculinity.
Other actors, directors and producers attending the festival include Oyiza Adaba, Uche Aguh, Clarck Ntambwe, Andrew Dosunmu and Tolu Ajayi, director of the acclaimed Over the Bridge which opened the event earlier this week. Exploring the struggle against corruption in Lagos, Over the Bridge garnered an impressive 12 nominations at this year’s Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards.
The New York African Film Festival kicked off on Wednesday, May 8, at Film at Lincoln Center and will continue at the venue through May 14. The festival will then move to the Maysles Documentary Center from May 17 to May 19, before concluding at BAM’s DanceAfrica at the end of May.
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