PLANET AFRICA
RETURNS
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2020 MARKS
25 YEARS SINCE THE FIRST EDITION
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CELEBRATE WITH US SEPTEMBER, 10 - 19
@ TIFF!
Planet Africa 1995 Inaugural Poster Photography: Michael Chambers | Design: Sabaa Quoa, Boom Design Inc.
Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director & Co-Head, TIFF | Founder, Planet Africa
The TIFF Tribute Awards ceremony will be broadcast Tuesday, September 15, 8 pm ET/PT The first-ever, one-hour broadcast of the event. Hosted by ETALK’s Chloe Wilde and Tyrone Edwards featuring special messages from the honourees, will be available on CTV and ctv.ca, and streamed internationally by Variety.
Planet Africa 1995 Inaugural Poster Photography: Michael Chambers | Design: Sabaa Quoa, Boom Design Inc.
Created in 1995 by Cameron Bailey, Planet Africa was a Festival programme dedicated to cinema from Africa and the African diaspora. Programmed by Cameron Bailey, followed by June Givanni and then Gaylene Gould, it ran as a part of the TIFF Festival for 10 years (1995 - 2004).
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As we celebrate its founding a quarter century ago, TIFF also recognizes 2020's Black Lives Matter uprisings with special screenings and events under the banner of Planet Africa 25.
Planet Africa 25: Film Screenings | September 10 - 19
TIFF has selected four new films for the Official Selection that embody the spirit of Planet Africa. For screening and ticket details, click on the film titles:
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The Way I See It | Dawn Porter | USA
Fri, Sep 11, 6pm - Online at Bell Digital Cinema
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Akilla’s Escape | Charles Officer | Canada
Sat, Sep 12, 9pm | Sun, Sep 13, 9:15pm
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Downstream to Kinshasa (En route pour le milliard) | Dieudo Hamadi | The Democratic Republic of the Congo/France/Belgium
Mon, Sep 14, 6pm - Online at Bell Digital Cinema
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40 Years A Prisoner | Tommy Oliver | USA
Thu, Sep 17, 6pm - Online at Bell Digital Cinema
Planet Africa 25: Origin Stories
​Sunday, September 13, 6pm | FREE
This is an online panel in which Bailey and the team that built Planet Africa will be looking at what the programme’s legacy means today. Joining the panel June Givanni, Gaylene Gould, maxine bailey, Hayet Benkara, Karen Carter, Grecia Mayers, Orla Garriques and Clement Virgo for a conversation, about how it all started, obstacles, successes, and what Planet Africa means in this age of Black Lives Matter.
Sunday, September 13, 10pm | FREE
In celebration of what was often called the hottest night of the Festival, TIFF presents Planet Africa 25: The Return of the Planet Africa Party, where
movie stars mingled with local artists, international filmmakers, and Toronto’s Black community on the dance floor. This year join legendary DJ Dave Campbell and a special guest from B.L.A.C.K. for a dance party live-streamed from a secret location. Audiences can join by going to [URL To Come] - SAVE THE DATE!
Planet Africa 25: Black Film Now
Wednesday, September 16, 3pm | FREE
Black Film Now brings this year's selected Planet Africa filmmakers Dieudo Hamadi, Charles Officer, Tommy Oliver and Dawn Porter together with Bailey for a conversation on the vitality and challenges of contemporary Black filmmaking.
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Commemorating the Programme, Planet Africa Legacy is a digital time capsule, a chronology of one of the most influential decades in Black film history. Celebrating the films, filmmakers and legacy as part of the 25th Anniversary Celebrations.
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Cameron Bailey
Artistic Director & Co-Head, TIFF
Founder, Planet Africa
#TIFF20 | #PlanetAfrica25 | #PlanetAfricaLegacy
The Way I See It by Dawn Porter
Akilla’s Escape by Charles Officer
40 Years A Prisoner by Tommy Oliver
The Way I See It by Dawn Porter