Dakan: Film Screening and Q&A

9 June 2021 6 - 8:30pm (BST)

Free
Curated by FUNCTION UK

About the event

Join us for this live online screening of Dakan, a Guinean drama written and directed by Mohamed Camara, which premiered at Cannes Film Festival in 1997. Described as the first West African feature film about openly gay characters, this poetic work follows Manga and Sory, two young men in Guinea, as they navigate their love for each other.

The screening will be followed by a live conversation and Q&A between the director, Mohamed Camara, and FUNCTION UK’s co-directors Ifeanyi Awachie and Moha Lami Audu, who will discuss the inspiration behind the story, Camara’s subtle storytelling, and the importance of representing queer experiences in Guinea and elsewhere in West Africa.

The film is in French and will feature English sub-titles. It contains some nudity and a narrative around homophobic aversion therapy.

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SPEAKERS

Mohamed Camara was born in Conakry, Guinea in 1959. He studied with Peter Brooks and Gabriel Grand at the American Center’s Atelier Blanche Salant in Paris. Besides participating in several theatrical and television projects, he has worked on numerous films, notably Ousmane Sembène’s Camp de Thiaroye and Marco Ferreri’s La Casa Del Sorriso. In his own films, he has explored controversial topics such as incest (Denko) and child suicide (Minka). Camara’s film Dakan has been called the first film on homosexuality by a Black African. Camara has won several international awards for his films, including the Grand Jury Award for Outstanding Foreign Narrative Feature at L.A. Outfest for Dakan.

FUNCTION UK is a creative partnership directed by Ifeanyi Awachie (above, left) and Moha Lami Audu (above, right). FUNCTION curates programming and content inspired by the practice of engaging art, fashion, and luxury from a politically pro-Black and diasporic African lens.

Ifeanyi Awachie has a BA in English from Yale University and an MA in Global Creative and Cultural Industries from SOAS. She is the founder and Chief Curator of AFRICA SALON UK, a global contemporary African arts festival. Ifeanyi is currently a PhD student and Corrigan Fellow at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She is co-art director of FUNCTION UK.

Moha Lami Audu has a BA in Fashion Marketing and Retail from Herriot Watt University and is currently studying for an MA in Art History at the Open University. He is the creative director of Club Road, a styling and interior design company, and the co-art director of FUNCTION UK.

HOW TO JOIN THIS EVENT

This event is free and will take place online only. Here’s how to join us:

1) Book a ticket on this webpage or Eventbrite. If you would like to make a donation to support Autograph’s arts and learning programmes, you can do this when you purchase your ticket. If you have any accessibility needs you would like us to be aware of, you can tell us on the booking form.

2) We'll send you an email confirmation of your booking.

3) This online event will use YouTube and Google Meet. On the day of the event, we’ll send you a welcome email with a link to the event. You will be able to join for the start of the event at 6pm (BST).

If you have any questions, we’re here to help! Please get in touch.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can participants outside of the UK join this event?
Yes! Everyone is welcome to join, from any location.

Will the event be recorded?
No, this event will be streamed live at the advertised time and will not be available to watch back after the live stream has ended.

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Part of Autograph's 2021 Open Call

Each year, Autograph has an Open Call for event proposals from emerging cultural producers who are working on a new or early stage project. For successful applicants, Autograph provides a budget, curatorial fee, and support to help make the event happen. This event is a result of our 2021 Open Call.