ARRAY Releasing has partnered with celebrated Ethiopian filmmaker Haile Gerima for a 4K restoration of his groundbreaking 1993 film, SANKOFA. The critically acclaimed and rarely-seen transformative film explores the untold history of Black resistance, developed from 20 years of research into the trans-Atlantic trade of enslaved African people. Coming to Netflix on September 24!
SANKOFA follows Mona (Oyafunmike Ogunlano), a Black American fashion model on a photo shoot in Cape Coast, Ghana. Through Mr. Gerima’s imaginative storytelling, she undergoes a journey back in time to a plantation in North America. There she becomes Shola, an enslaved African woman who labors in the master’s house and experiences the horrors of slavery firsthand. In becoming Shola, Mona recovers and confronts her ancestral identity and experience. While enduring monstrous trauma at the hands of white men who owned people for profit, Shola’s interactions with her fellow enslaved Africans are rich with humanity, respect and dignity for one another. Most notably, she connects with Shango (Mutabaruka), a rebellious African man who toils in the fields, and Nunu (Alexandra Duah), one of the few of the enslaved to remember her life in Africa before being stolen and terrorized by European traders.
SANKOFA is produced by Negod Gwad Productions, in co-production with The Ghana National Commission on Culture DiProCi of Burkina Faso and NDR/WDR Television in Association with Channel 4 Television. Shirikiana Gerima is a co-producer of the film.
Initially overlooked by distributors, SANKOFA was self-distributed in the U.S. by Haile and Shirikiana Gerima’s independent distribution company through grassroots marketing within African American communities. Their innovative outreach led to over two years of sold-out screenings in theaters across the country. The film, which was conceived, produced, and directed by Haile Gerima, was an official selection of Berlin International Film Festival and AFI Film Festival in 1993. Born and raised in Ethiopia before moving to the US in 1967, Mr. Gerima’s films have been official selections of Cannes, Berlinale, Venice, Locarno, FESPACO and Toronto Film Festivals to name a few.
About ARRAY
Founded in 2011 by filmmaker Ava DuVernay, ARRAY is a Peabody Award-winning multi-platform arts and social impact collective dedicated to narrative change. The organization catalyzes its work through a quartet of mission-driven entities: the film distribution arm ARRAY Releasing, the content company ARRAY Filmworks, the programming and production hub ARRAY Creative Campus and the non-profit group ARRAY Alliance.
SANKOFA marks ARRAY Releasing’s 35th title. Previous films include DuVernay’s Sundance Film Festival-winning MIDDLE OF NOWHERE and THIS IS THE LIFE; Shantrelle P. Lewis’ IN OUR MOTHERS’ GARDENS; Ainsley Gardiner and Briar Grace-Smith’s COUSINS; Shaz Bennett’s ALASKA IS A DRAG; Deepa Mehta’s FUNNY BOY; Isabel Sandoval’s Film Independent Spirit Award-nominated LINGUA FRANCA; Merawi Gerima’s Film Independent Spirit Award-winning RESIDUE; Takeshi Fukunaga’s NAACP Image Award-nominated AINU MOSIR; Stephanie Turner’s JUSTINE; Simon Frederick’s THEY’VE GOTTA HAVE US; Numa Perrier’s JEZEBEL; and Phillip Youmans’ Gotham and Spirit Award-nominated, and triple Tribeca Film Festival winner BURNING CANE. www.arraynow.com
