Repossessing the Spirit of Myths in Africa Through Cinema: Souleymane Cissé’s YEELEN (1987)

Los Angeles Filmforum presents Experimentations: Imag(In)ing Knowledge in Film, Program 4: Repossessing the Spirit of Myths in Africa Through Cinema: Souleymane Cissé’s YEELEN (1987).

This program examines the technical capacity of filmmaking to encode and organize new myths for the expansiveness of modern African people. Pairing legendary Malian film Yeelen (Souleymane Cissé, 1987) with contemporary Kenyan film Smoke Jumpers (Daniel Muchina, 2023), this program illuminates the intricate relationship between the structured systems of knowledge prevalent in ancient African societies and the creation of visual narrative forms as vehicles for disseminating this wisdom.

This event will take place at the Autry Museum of the American West. 

Presented in conjunction with Los Angeles Filmforum's PST ART: Art & Science Collide public screening series Experimentations: Imag(In)ing Knowledge in Film.