Sankofa

Haile Gerima's 1993 film opens with an American model on a photo shoot in Ghana. At a former slave fort she falls back through time and finds herself enslaved on a plantation. The film uses that passage as a fantastical element while keeping the narrative realistic. The hierarchy on the plantation, attempts at resistance and betrayals are shown in detail; the narrative does not tie liberation to a single hero. Gerima was born in Ethiopia and works as an independent director in the United States. The film found no studio backing; he set up his own distribution and showed it venue by venue, and that method was decisive for how the film became known. Who it's for: those who follow independent Black cinema and narratives about slavery. Who it's not for: viewers for whom violence and sexual abuse would sit heavily; the film shows them directly.