Ephrem Andemariam, program coordinator of African and African American studies at UMSL and co-organizer of the Africa World Documentary Film Festival, discusses the upcoming festival and its films on the HEC-TV show “Frames.”

Two South Africans seek out healing and reconciliation. A military commander and revolutionary socialist becomes Mozambique’s first president. Women in Ethiopia left their families and homes to become freedom fighters.

They are all among the subjects featured in the seventh annual Africa World Documentary Film Festival sponsored by the E. Desmond Lee Professorship in African/African American Studies and International Studies and Programs at the University of Missouri­–St. Louis.

The HEC-TV show “Frames” recently previewed some of the films on the festival lineup. Host Jim Althoff highlighted a handful of the documentaries in a conversation with Ephrem Andemariam, the program coordinator of African and African American studies at UMSL and a festival organizer.

The festival will take place April 24-27 at the Missouri History Museum, 5700 Lindell Blvd. in St. Louis (63112). It will feature nearly a dozen films from around the globe. Niyi Coker, the E. Desmond Lee Endowed Professor of African/African American Studies at UMSL, is the festival’s director.

One of the highlights of the festival will be an open discussion on April 26 with the filmmakers of “Man Up and Go,” a documentary about a group of American men who travel to Africa and spend time being fathers to orphans.

The festival is free and open to the public.

Visit the festival website for a complete list of the documentary films that will be showing.

Click here to watch the HEC-TV episode in its entirety.

Media Coverage:
The St. Louis American