It should have been such a special week, because on Wednesday, August 19, the 11th edition of World Cinema Amsterdam would have started - a ten-day film festival showcasing the best that African, Asian and Latin American cinema has to offer.
The contours of the festival were already visible at the beginning of 2020: a beautiful competition program, the focus program Actual Africa 2020, special screenings, Go Cuba!, debates, parties, delicious world food, etc. But everyone knows what also happened at the beginning of this year; the virus left us no choice but to cancel the festival. Very sorry. But that does not mean that this summer will pass without world cinema. On the contrary!
For example, in Rialto you can now see the winner of the 2019 competition: La camarista by Mexican director Lila Avilés about a chambermaid in a chic hotel in Mexico City who dreams of rising higher; literally and figuratively. Rialto's Renske Diks recently had an interview with Avilés; click here to see that.
Four African films will also be screened in September under the title Rialtoâ€African Cinema: previous WCA competition winners Necktie Youth by Sibs Shongwe-La Mer and The Wound by John Trengove, both from South Africa, Supa Modo by Likarion Wainaina from Kenya, one of the audience favourites of the 2018 festival, and Alain Gomis' FĂ©licitĂ©, one of the 2017 nominated films for the WCA Jury Award. You can watch three of the four films at home in our online cinema Picl: Supa Modo, The Wound and FĂ©licitĂ©.
For years, WCA has been particularly fond of Cuban cinema. Not only by showing many Cuban films, but also by supporting those films financially through the Go Cuba! Fund. A special Go Cuba! evening will take place in Rialto on 27 August. After a dazzling salsa demonstration by the Mocitos Dance School, the new Cuban film Agosto by Armando CapĂł is on the program.
âIt was indeed a difficult decision to cancel WCA 2020, but we had no choice because of the global virus. Therefore extra happy with the worldly off and online activities that we have been able to realize during this period to alleviate this lack. We are now focusing on a wonderful 11th edition of WCA in August 2021â.
Raymond Walravens, director & curator World Cinema Amsterdam
In short: no festival this year, but WCA is alive and kicking!