ArtMattan Films celebrates 20 years of distribution of Afrocentric films at MIST in Harlem!

NEW YORK - April 17, 2013 - PRLog -- ArtMattan Films (Kirikou and the Sorceress, The Tracker, Gospel Hill, Scheherazade, Tell Me a Story, The First Rasta and most recently The Pirogue and La Playa D.C.), has partnered with the newly opened three screen movie theatre, MIST CINEMA in Harlem, to bring back from April 19 to April 25 three popular titles that premiered in the African Diaspora International Film Festival and still resonate with audiences worldwide:

RETURN TO GOREE

"Conversations full of memorable words and what can only be called 'genuineness' push Youssou N'Dour: Return to Goré into the realm of unforgettable filmmaking."
- Jonathan Curiel, San Francisco Chronicle

"Trace[s] influences and celebrate[s] connections with tunes to make you tap and sway."
- Jeannette Catsoulis, The New York Times

Starring Youssou N'Dour, the Senegalese singer now Minister of Culture in Senegal, Return to Gorée is a moving testimony of the power of music to create dialogue and celebrate life. In Return to Gorée, Youssou N'Dour tours the USA and Europe recruiting outstanding musicians to adapt his own song to jazz arrangements in preparation for a concert on the Gorée Island given to celebrate the creativity of Africans in the New World and the music they created against all odds, jazz.
2007. Pierre-Yves Borgeaud. 108 mins. Switzerland/Luxembourg. Color, Released by ArtMattan Films

THE STORY OF LOVERS ROCK

"You can add The Story of Lovers Rock to the short list of must-see, politically-tinged documentaries which shed light on the cultural roots of a lesser-known musical genre, ala Calypso Dreams and Buena Vista Social Club."
- Kam Williams , AALBC.com

This is first and foremost a film about Black Social Dance. The US parallel would be the "slow-dance," the "Bop," "Sunset Bop." Under dark blue or red lights in a crowded room young men and women came together to experience the ritual intimacy of dance, flirtation and love to the sound of romantic music.

Lovers Rock, often dubbed 'romantic reggae' is a uniquely black British sound that developed in the late 70s and 80s against a backdrop of riots, racial tension and sound systems. Live performance, comedy sketches, dance, interviews and archive shed light on the music and the generation that embraced it. Lovers Rock allowed young people to experience intimacy and healing through dance- known as 'scrubbing'- at parties and clubs. This dance provided a coping mechanism for what was happening on the streets. Lovers Rock developed into a successful sound with national UK hits and was influential to British bands (Police, Culture Club, UB40) These influences underline the impact the music was making in bridging the multi-cultural gap that polarized the times. The film sheds light on a forgotten period of British music, social and political history.
2011, Menelik Shabazz. 96mins. UK. Color, Released by ArtMattan Films

FILLING THE GAP

"The response from the local community was exceptional. Audience members at our event and at an event hosted at the Stockton San Joaquin Public Library asked repeatedly, "where can we get a copy of the film?" - Greg Rohlf, Chair, Department of History, Pacific University

Filling The Gap highlights the contributions of African immigrants and African-Americans to U.S. History prior to the Civil War. Conceived as an effort to alter the way African-American children see themselves and their ancestors, this docu-drama highlights the inventive and inspired contributions of little-known Americans of African descent and their incredible creativity in the 1840s, the period leading to the Civil War in American history.
2010, Tyrone Young, 83 min, USA, Docu-Drama, Released by ArtMattan Films

MIST CINEMA
46 West 116th Street
New York, NY 10026
Tel: 646·688·5886
www.myimagestudios.com



SHOWTIMES April 19 to April 25
1 pm Filling the Gap
3 pm The Story of Lovers Rock
5 pm Return to Goree
7:15 pm The Story of Lovers Rock
9:15 pm Return to Goree

TICKET PRICE
$13 general admission
FOR TICKETS CLICK HERE: www.NYADIFF.org

DVDs of films from Africa and the African Diaspora will be on sale at the theater.