Programs 4th Annual Harlem African Animation Festival

Details

  • Date:
    Oct 22, 2025
  • End Date:
    Oct 23, 2025
  • Time:
    7:00PM - 9:00PM
  • Location:

    The Africa Center
    1280 Fifth Avenue New York, NY 10029
    United States (map)

Register

The Africa Center is proud to host the 4th Annual Harlem African Animation Festival, October 22–23 ! Celebrate the vibrant creativity and groundbreaking storytelling of African animators and filmmakers with screenings and family-friendly experiences that bring African animation to life.

Presented in partnership with Dr. Boukary Sawadogo, this year’s festival will feature captivating film screenings, and discussions. The festival shines a spotlight on talented African animators and celebrates the continent’s creative brilliance, and groundbreaking innovations in African media. Whether you’re a longtime animation fan or just curious to explore, there’s something here for everyone.

Established in 2021, the Harlem African Animation Festival is the first festival in the United States exclusively devoted to African animated films and series. The festival honors the long history of African animation, all the way from its origins in the 1910s to the exciting contributions African audiovisual storytellers are making within the field today.

About the Director:

Dr. Boukary Sawadogo is the founding director of the Harlem African Animation Festival. He is  an Associate Professor of Cinema Studies at the City University of New York’s City College and  CUNY Graduate Center. As a specialist in African cinemas, he has published extensively through  film reviews, articles, book chapters, and four books. In addition to African film and media  industries, Sawadogo's work has been widening in scope and depth to include a study of the  African diaspora and migrants. A particular focus is placed on African immigrant communities in  the United States, as evidenced by his most recent book Africans in Harlem: An Untold New  York Story (2022) and the documentary film Salut Y’all: African Teachers on the Bayou (2013).

 

Agenda

Harlem African Animation Festival
October 22, 2025 | The Africa Center

6:30 PM – Doors Open

7:00 PM – Welcome & Introduction

7:05 PM – Film Screenings 

  • The Pyramid (2021) – Mohamed Ghazala, Egypt (7 min)

  • Machini (2019) – Frank Mukunday & Tetshim, Democratic Republic of Congo (9:47 min)

  • On the Surface (2021) – Fan Cissoko, Mali / France (4:25 min)

  • Villa Madjo (2023) – Elen Sylla Grollimund, Senegal / Switzerland (13:25 min)

  • Chemins Étoilés (2025) – Olav Babi, Benin (1:38 min)

  • Malaika – Le Chapeau de Sabon (2024) – Serge Dimitri Pitroipa & Andre Daniel Tapsoba, Burkina Faso (11:11 min)

  • Malaika – Tir à l’arc en pays Lobi (2024) – Serge Dimitri Pitroipa & Andre Daniel Tapsoba, Burkina Faso (11:26 min)

8:00 PM – Talkback
        Inside the Animation Studio: Conversations with African Creators
Featuring:

  • Dara Ojugbele, Artist & Animator (Moderator)

  • Jean-Michel Kibushi Njate Wooto, Studio Malembe Maa (Democratic Republic of Congo)

  • Dimitri Serge Pitroipa, Pit Studio (Burkina Faso)

8:30 PM – Program Concludes

 

Harlem African Animation Festival
October 23, 2025 | The Africa Center

6:30 PM – Doors Open

7:00 PM – Welcome & Introduction

7:05 PM – Film Screenings 

  •  The Adventures of Kady and Djudju(2024) by Yancouba Dieme, Senegal (12) 
  • Kelasi (2022) by Fransix Kenda Lomba, Democratic Republic of Congo (12:30)
  • Mofiala (2020) by Boris Kpadenou, Togo (26) 
  • Uli & Tata: African Nursery Rhymes (2024) by Chief Nyamweya, Kenya (11:58)  

8:05 PM – Live storytelling presented by Badenya, with support from The New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA)

8:30 PM – Program Concludes

 

 

Register Today!