Noteworthy Events
Kick Off CFAF at the Portland Art Museum — Free First Thursday
Experience CFAF in the community during our Pre-Festival Kickoff on Free First Thursday, when PAM becomes a vibrant gathering place for African cinema, art, music, and education. This is your chance to get to know the festival, while exploring the newly redesigned Portland Art Museum and the Black Art and Experiences (B.A.E.) Galleries.
Thursday, February 5, from 12:00–7:00pm
Scheduled Engagement Activities
Event 1: Short Film Screenings
Location: Whitsell Auditorium
Noon–6:30 p.m: Screenings every hour, on the hour
Screenings 2 short film: “The Origin of the Devils” by Director Efraín Andrés Fuentes Serna (Mexico)
In Oaxaca and Guerrero’s Costa Chica region, Afro-descendants continue to honor the memory and fight for freedom of the Africans enslaved during the colonial era through their Dance of the Devils, their cries; and the use of instruments such as their own bodies, the Charrasca, and the Tigrera. This short film portrays this still-present community fight and the customs and culture of Afro-indigenous peoples.
“Blessing of Water (Intsikelelo Yamanzi)” by Directors Michelle Name and Onke Meje (South Africa)
When Cape Town encounters an extreme stretch without water, things get desperate. Perhaps it’s a little boy who returns us to our humanity.
Event 2: Art-making with Ko-Falen
Location: Finley Learning Studio
Noon–2:30 p.m: Recycled Tin art making. Artists in Mali use materials such as old oil tins, food cans, and other scrap metals, often flattening, cutting, and shaping them into intricate designs.
Event 3: Community Conversations
Location: To Gather Your Leaving Gallery
Time: Noon p.m–6:00 p.m
Community Conversations with artists and cultural leaders from across the African diaspora.
Speakers:
Mimy Manavihare (Madagascar)
Rukshana Triem (Mozambique)
Amel Tafsout (Algeria)
Dr. Giramata (Rwanda)
Kennedy Wambalaba (Kenya)
Event 4: Art-making with Jeremy Okai Davis
Location: Finley Learning Studio
Time: 3:30 p.m–6:00 p.m
Create bold, expressive Sharpie portraits using simple lines and personal storytelling. Add layers of colorful tissue paper to bring texture, depth, and vibrancy to your portrait, transforming it into a mixed-media reflection of identity and imagination.
Event 5: DJ Reese Bowes
Location: Black Art and Experiences Gallery
Time: 4:00 p.m–6:30 p.m: An immersive digital media experience merges sound, image, and interactivity into dynamic multimedia moments that invite creative exploration.
