Kuxa Kanema: The Birth of Cinema

After 500 years of Portuguese colonial rule, Mozambique was one of the last African countries to gain independence. President Samora Machel’s first cultural act was to establish the National Institute of Cinema, which produced weekly newsreels—Kuxa Kanema—for and about the people. Mobile cinema units reminiscent of Aleksandr Medvedkin’s cine-trains traveled around the country to engage people with what it means to be free in an independent nation. When filmmaker Margarida Cardoso visited the institute, it was already in ruins, but she discovered newsreel footage in an abandoned building. Interviews with filmmakers who were involved with the institute—including Licínio Azevedo, Jose Cardoso, and Ruy Guerra—and sequences from the newsreels bear witness to the birth of Mozambique’s cinema in concert with the birth of the nation.

Join us for a post-screening Q&A.

Preceded by

Making Manifest: A WESHHHSIDE TALE (2025)
Dir. Ahmad Cissé
5min
US
In English and Wolof with English subtitles

World premiere

WESHHH.The Collective's film debut is a nod to the origin of this collective of New York City-based African and Caribbean-descended artists and the importance of community spaces. Employing a non-linear storytelling style, various cinematic languages are used in this collective-oriented creation. Underscoring individuality along with cohesion, all group members shine in their own right—singularly and collectively.