Come and celebrate at the fourth year of Bristol's own Afrika Eye festival, which returns with another vibrant line-up of film, music, dance, workshops, and discussion from the birthplace of storytelling. The documentaries, shorts and features cover an entire continent: from Senegal to Algeria, from Congo to South Africa, in a glorious celebration of history, culture, people and place.

We open at Watershed with the South-West première of Djibril Diop Mambety's newly restored TOUKI BOUKI. Martin Scorcese's World Cinema Foundation chose this beautiful and unexpected film for digital restoration in 2008. Hailed as Africa's Easy Rider, Touki Bouki is a surreal and luminous story of two rebellious young lovers who try to escape from Senegal for the prosperity they believe awaits them in Paris.



Continuing in the tradition of 2008's sold out party this year's opening party boasts performances by master musicians Sura Susso on kora and Bido Iyrie on drums, plus a dazzling lineup of Sengalese dancing.



This year a central theme is power: who holds it and how? On Saturday we focus on the subtle power of women within Muslim cultures and the not-so-subtle power of colonialism and terrorism. On Sunday the theme continues with a unique collection of films about African leaders, including fascinating perspectives on Patrice Lumumba, Mobutu Sese Seko, and Samora Machel. Mosco Kamwendo will be present at the screening of his SAMORA and the Q & A session will be a fantastic opportunity for film-makers and would-be film-makers to ask questions of the director. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Anti-Apartheid movement, we close with MAPANTSULA from South Africa, whose gangster hero has to choose between himself & the power of a revolutionary movement.



As well as bringing world cinema to Bristol, the festival prides itself on presenting the EYEFULL selection of shorts with an African/Diaspora point of view submitted by both local film-makers and those from further afield. We are delighted to present a prize for the best short film by a local film-maker.



Festival directors Ingrid Sincair and Simon Bright have teamed up with AFRICAN VOICES FORUM and IMAYLA DANCE DIALOGUES to bring you the most diverse program to date. A fantastic city wide dance schedule will be complemented by a Festival dance performance & workshop on the 23rd October featuring popular TAVAZIVA DANCE and a screening of the documentary MOVEMENT (R)EVOLUTION AFRICA. This screening will be followed by a discussion - how does African dance contribute to contemporary Western dance?