WOCAF - Women of Color Arts & Film Festival

WOCAF Festival Founder and Director selected for Recognition award at Women4Africa

wocaf — Wed, 02 May 2012 05:12:25 +0000

Mojisola Sonoiki will be honored with the “Recognition Award” celebrating her outstanding contributions and achievements as Founder and Festival Director of The WOCAF Festival. The inagural Women4Africa awards ceremony will take place in London on May 19th 2012 at the the Great Hall, Kensington Town Hall, Hornton Street, London W8 7NX. The award is being granted based on the vision of of the Founder for providing a robust platform ’Presenting, Promoting and Celebrating’ the artistic talents of women of color filmakers and artists. For more information about the awards ceremony please visit Women4Africa

African Women in Cinema interviews WOCAF Festival Director

wocaf — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 05:30:29 +0000

Mojisola Sonoiki, founder and director of the Women of Color Arts and Film Festival (WOCAF) based in Atlanta, has found her calling as cultural activist. She talks about her passion for art and culture and her journey through three continents.

Mojisola, you have a rich background in cultural production and advocacy on three continents! Tell us a bit about your trajectory and the experiences that inspired you on this path.

I have been involved in artistic events from a very early age and music and dancing was my first love. From primary through middle school in Nigeria, I was a member of the traditional dance groups that entertained guests at our end-of-school-year cultural event. Then I was one of the organisers of the foundation week at my secondary school, the International School of Ibadan (ISI), which was a celebration of the cultural diversity at our school. At ISI, I was also involved in the Drama Society where I acted in plays, as well as a member of the school band where I played the recorder. On graduating from secondary school my plan was to study literature in university as I loved to write and had been writing since I was two years old. But being from a middle class Nigerian family and being the first born it was almost an abomination at that time to want to be anything outside of a doctor, lawyer or engineer. As I was adamant that I didn’t want to study any of these, selecting computer science was the closest I could come to appeasing my parents.

(from The African Women in Cinema Blog)

Kickstarter Women of Color Arts and Film Festival Atlanta Campaign

wocaf — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 02:10:27 +0000

The Women of Color Arts and Film Festival Atlanta, celebrating its 7th year anniversary March 15th – 18th 2012 needs your help! We are carrying out a kickstarter fundraiser to raise $3000 in 30 days to partially cover costs for our upcoming festival. The Festivals theme this year is “Celebrating the African Woman” For our Film Festival segment have scheduled the films, The Education ofAuma Obama by Branwen Okpaku, a documentary about president Obama’s activist sister, Ties that Bind by Leila Djansi, starring Omotola Jolade Ekeiinde and Kimberly Elise, and Ma’mi by Tunde Kelani, starring Funke Akindele, to name a few.

Follow the link below to make your contribution. If you cant contribute this time you can still assist us by passing this email or link on to a friend. Thanks in Advance! and see you at the festival!

WOCAF Film Festival 2012 Announces Opening, Centerpiece and Closing Night Films

wocaf — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 02:00:35 +0000

ATLANTA (February 21, 2012) — The seventh annual Women of Color Arts and Film (WOCAF) Festival is pleased to announce its opening night feature film, “The Education of Auma Obama” by Branwen Okpako , taking place at Walter C. Hill Auditorium, High Museum of Arts, 1280 Peachtree St. Atlanta, GA 30309 on Friday March 16th at 7pm. The film which made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, is an intriguing look into the life of President Barack Obama’s Kenyan half sister Auma Obama, filmed in her homestead in Kenya during the run up to the 2008 US Presidential elections that brought her brother President Barack Obama to power. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at the High Museum of Art’s box office.

The centerpiece film “MA’AMI” by acclaimed Nigerian Filmmaker Tunde Kelani is scheduled to be screened on Saturday March 17th at the Auburn Avenue Research Library (AARL), 101 Auburn Avenue, Atlanta, GA and is free and open to the public. Set over a two day period, leading to the 2010 World cup, “MA’MI” is an inspiring story of a poor conscientious single parent’s struggle to raise her only child, Kashimawo who eventually rises to international stardom in an English football club, Arsenal and becomes a national hero.

The closing night film “Ties That Bind” by multiple award-winning director Leila Djansi, described as one of the hottest new wave directors out of Africa, is the story of three women from different backgrounds bound together by a common tragedy; the loss of a child. The film features Hollywood actress Kimberly Elise, Ghanaian stars, Ama K Abebrese, John Dumelo, David Dontoh and one of the Nollywood’s most notable actresses, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde. The screening will take place at Walter C. Hill Auditorium, High Museum of Arts, 1280 Peachtree St. Atlanta, GA 30309 on Sunday March 18th at 6pm. Tickets are $12 and can be purchased at the High Museum of Art’s box office.

For a detailed festival itinerary please visit our website www.wocaf.org

Festival Sponsors.

2012 festival sponsors/partners include: Creative Loafing, Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History, Women Make Movies, Goethe Institute NY, Storm Web Enterprises and Africanreel.tv. Sponsorship opportunities are still available.

About the Women of Color Arts and Film Festival

Founded in 2005, WOCAF is dedicated to promoting cultural, political and social issues about and/or related to women of color. The festival’s mission is to be at the forefront in promoting the leadership capabilities of women of color media makers and artists; expand dialogue on social and women’s issues; and promote positive empowering images of minorities in the media.

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WOCAF Film Festival 2012 Trailer

maino — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 23:22:16 +0000

Funke Akindele Interview

maino — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 22:55:30 +0000

Asa WOCAF Interview

maino — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 23:26:01 +0000

Thanks from WOCAF 2010

wocaf — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 02:55:37 +0000

On behalf of Iyàlódè [e-yah-low-day] Productions, producers of the WOCAF Festival Atlanta, we would like to thank you for attending the 6th annual Women of Color Arts & Film Festival Atlanta .

Despite the tight budget contraints, we still managed to host yet another exciting festival. Our turnout was great again this year and our supporters were, as always, very moved by our determination to continue to promote and exhibit the artistic creations by and/or about Women of Color.

Please visit our website regularly for updates feel, free to leave comments on our site, twitter us and fnd us on facebook , support us by donating $$$ and most of all…. continue to support independent film, music and the arts!

More coming soon!

Watch the WOCAF 2010 Trailer

wocaf — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 19:48:21 +0000

WOCAF 2010 Flyer

wocaf — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:48:19 +0000