In any year, the Cascade Festival of African Films (CFAF) is a unique experience.
Hosted by Portland Community College’s Cascade campus, the festival brings a well-curated selection of different genres, countries, languages, and perspectives to Portland audiences, with only one common trait: They’re all created by African filmmakers. The festival’s aim, according to its website, is to “show us Africa through the eyes of Africans, rather than a vision of Africa packaged for Western viewers.”
For obvious reasons, this year’s CFAF is a little different from previous years. It’s virtual, meaning you can stream the selections from the comfort of your own home. The festival has even offered a list of local African- and Black-owned restaurants to get takeout from, so you can make an evening of it. (I can personally vouch for the abundant vegetarian sampler from Queen of Sheba!) All films are free to watch, but you can make a donation to CFAF here.
I had a chance to watch a few of the 2021 CFAF films recently, and the standout for me was Dhalinyaro (Youth), a pitch-perfect coming-of-age tale set in Djibouti. Three teenage girls on the precipice of graduating high school grapple with college decisions, sex and romantic relationships, stark class differences, and distant parents, all while finding time to ogle cute boys on the side. Director Lula Ali Ismaïl imbues the film with warmth, and actors Amina Mohamed Ali, Tousmo Mouhoumed Mohamed, and Bilan Samir Moubus play a trio of high school friends with ease and humor. Those who enjoyed other recent coming-of-age films like Lady Bird or Booksmart will definitely want to check out Dhalinyaro when it screens at 7 pm on February 27.
If you’re looking for something a little more experimental, you might want to catch Air Conditioner, a magical realist feature set in Angolan capital city Luanda. In a strange reality where air conditioners keep falling out of windows and killing people, apartment building security guard Montacedo is tasked with the fruitless task of getting his boss’ AC unit repaired. The film follows Montacedo for a day while he runs this errand, with diversions into a mad scientist repair man’s workshop, rousing checkers matches with friends on the sidewalk, conversations conducted via telepathy, and a mourning ceremony for an inanimate object. This is the kind of film that pairs great with a joint—so pick one up from a local Black-owned dispensary like Green Muse and stream Air Conditioner at 7 pm this Saturday.
CFAF is also hosting a slate of intriguing documentaries this year—including Hyphen, a short film from director Laura Kamugisha. Hyphen tells the story of Kamugisha’s mother, Marie-Chantal, a Rwandan political refugee who has lived in Quebec, Canada since 1998. Over its brief 18-minute runtime, Hyphen delivers several quietly poignant moments, especially during Marie-Chantal’s interview scenes. “It was either leaving or dying,” she says about fleeing Rwanda. “I lost almost 10 years trying to find myself… It was really—well,” she finishes by way of explanation. The camera cuts to another scene, leaving the viewer to fill in the vast pain left by that “well.” You can stream Hyphen on February 13 at 3 pm.
In total, there are 22 films playing as part of CFAF, starting this Friday and going through March 6. The other selections range from an animated feature to documentaries about political activists to sweet romances. You can find film descriptions here, and check out the full calendar here.
