This blog started by listing films that depicted women in more than minor roles, and the question arose: what about other people? Well, the women-friendly film list was devised not to forget lesbians, trans women and women of colour, but women are definitely not the only category with the representation of which cinema has issues. I started to consider the representation of Africa in movies. Here is my provisional film-list, including European and American films made about/set in Africa, African films and everything in between… Please comment with further suggestions.
Casablanca (1942) by Michael Curtiz
Notes Towards an African Orestes (1970) by Pier Paolo Pasolini
Xala (1975) by Ousmane Sembene
Black and White in Color (1976) by Jean-Jacques Annaud
Ceddo (1977) by Ousmane Sembene
Une Femme en Afrique (1985) by Raymond Depardon
Camp of Thiaroye (1988) by Ousmane Sembene
La Captive du désert (1990) by Raymond Depardon
Naked Lunch (1991) by David Cronenberg
Afriques: Comment ça va avec la douleur? (1996) by Raymond Depardon
Kirikou and the Sorceress (1998) by Michel Ocelot
Lumumba (2000) by Raoul Peck
Ali (2001)
Waiting for happiness (2002) by Abderrahmane Sissako
Amandla! A Revolution in Four Part Harmony (2002) by Lee Hirsch
Abouna (Our Father) (2002) by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
Moolade (2004) by Ousmane Sembene
Hotel Rwanda (2004) by Terry George
Darwin’s Nightmare (2004)
The Constant Gardener (2005) by Fernando Meirelles
Desert Rebels – Ishumars, The Forgotten Rockers of the Desert (2006) by François Bergeron
Last King of Scotland (2006) by Kevin MacDonald
Goodbye Bafana (2007) by Bille August
District 9 (2009) by Neill Blomkamp
Some anarchist reviews of stuff 
Abouna (Our Father) (2002) http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/93161/abouna
Amandla (2002) http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amandla!:_A_Revolution_in_Four-Part_Harmony
Thanks, Suzi, that’s some great additions!
The Gods Must Be Crazy 1980 (Actually a South African film, apparently, but note the date)
Blood Diamond 2006
Invictus 2009
Machine Gun Preacher 2011
Kony 2012 (LOLOLOLOLOLLOL)
Two versions of Flight of the Phoenix, 1965 and 2004.
Definitely some Bond films.
Arguably films about Guerillas Gorillas. Usually have a few scenes set in Africa at least, and are sublimated depictions of the African in the state of nature.
So King Kong 1933, and Might Joe Young (both 1949, apparently, and 1998)
Was Lumumba any good?
Damn. Meant to do “Guerillas” with strikethrough tags, but it appears WordPress has edited out my typographic punning.
Thanks!
Kony 2012 is actually probably a good illustration of a lot of issues about the representation of Africa for Europeans and Africans (and by extension in a large part of movies). I guess it could be ethical to screen it that way?
I saw Lumumba a very long time ago, before we learnt about him at school, so I really liked him, but it might just be enthusiasm about learning he ever existed… Still, I bet it’s a more thought-provoking film than most. You should definitely watch it and let me know.