Tag: film-release

LAFF & African Film Commission hosts On the Rumba River

As part of the 2007 Los Angeles Film Festival, the African Film Commission will present On The Rumba River (Le Batelier de la Rumba) a film Jacques Sarasin. I won’t be able to attend but, I encourage any of you who will be in LA this week to support us and catch this exciting documentary.…
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Hip-hop’s African ancestry at Odyssey Awards

Last Saturday I attended the 5th Annual Hip-Hop Odyssey (H2O) Awards, held at BB Kings in New York City. Organized by the Hip-Hop Association, the awards ceremony recognized today’s hottest Hip-Hop filmmakers, industry professionals and pioneers. The event always features appearances and performances by Hip-Hop heavyweights. This year’s event, as usual, was packed with many…
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2007 Academy Awards African nominees

The nominations for the 79th annual Academy Awards were released this morning, and I’m elated to see African film is carrying on it’s influence from the Golden Globes to the Oscars. I’m even more excited to see that Djimon Hounsou was nominated for his role as the Sierra Leonean fisherman in “Blood Diamond”. Yet another…
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Africa fuels Golden Globe wins

Last nights Golden Globe awards solidified what newspapers have been saying for months. Africa is red hot for Hollywood filmmakers. Babel, filmed in Morocco and Tunisia, won for best film and Forest Whitaker (Platoon, Good Morning, Vietnam, The Color of Money) won the best actor award for his portrayal of Ugandan dictator Idi Amin in…
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African diamond facts according to Russell Simmons

As I mentioned, yesterday I attended Russell Simmons’ press conference to reveal the results of his fact-finding Africa mission. In attendance was Russell Simmons, Dr. Ben Chavis, Kimora Lee Simmons (Russell insisted she’s still his wife), Rev. Run(Run DMC), the Dipset’s “capo” Jim Jones (again I say, WTF does he have to do with diamonds…
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Nas shines on with diamonds video

With a new album nearing release, one of hip-hop’s elder statesmen and baddest lyricists, rhymes about blood diamonds. This video is for the track “Shine On ‘Em” from the Blood Diamond movie soundtrack which Nas is reported to have scored. Good work Nasir. Now you need to let a real Sierra Leonean in on the…
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Blood Diamond NY premiere

Last night (November 30th) the Museum of Modern Art in New York hosted a screening of the new movie “Blood Diamond” starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Djimon Hounsou, And Jennifer Connelly. Despite the serious nature of the movie and the controversy surrounding it, the screening was reported to be a very festive one. I wonder if Sorious…
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Diamonds are not Africa’s best friend

For the past year and a half the issue effort to stop the trade of conflict or blood diamonds has been kicked into overdrive. With mounting pressure from the UN and many humanitarian organizations especially Amnesty International, diamond manufacturers and retailers have been under severe pressure to clean up their act. Having lived off the…
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