Visual Arts | December 10, 2024

Harvard Film Archive West African Women in Films

The Harvard Film Archive features works by director Rosine Mbakam

From The January-February 2025 Issue

A hairdresser meticulously braiding a client's hair in a vibrant salon, using a candle to seal the ends. — **From the film** **Chez Jolie Coiffure** | COURTESY OF ICARUS FILMS

The Harvard Film Archive screens the complete works of this year’s McMillan-Stewart Fellow, filmmaker Rosine Mbakam (January 27-February 9). Born in Cameroon and based in Belgium, Mbakam will be on hand February 8 and 9 to discuss her documentaries, shorts, and her latest feature, Mambar Pierrette (2023), which follows a Cameroonian seamstress and single mother struggling to keep her life afloat. Mbakam’s works reflect timeless recurring themes inherent to women’s lives, intergenerational shifts, and the immigration experience. The Two Faces of a Bamiléké Woman (2016) documents her own return trip to Cameroon after a seven-year absence, while Delphine’s Prayers (2021) offers an intimate portrait of a Cameroonian sex worker and her efforts to face, and transcend, daily challenges. You Will Be My Ally, Prism, and Chez Jolie Coiffure will also be screened. (For further details, visit the Harvard Film Archive.)

Published in the January-February 2025 print issue under the headline “Focus on West African Women,” in the Harvard Squared section.

You might also like

Keri Russell gestures while speaking at a panel discussion in front of a blue backdrop.

Keri Russell Calls ‘The Diplomat’ a Love Letter to Public Servants

A Harvard Kennedy School event looks behind the scenes of the Netflix drama.

Black and white portrait of a woman with medium-length hair, smiling softly.

Boston Ballet’s Ming Min Hui on Changing Audiences and Timothée Chalamet

The outgoing executive director and Harvard Business School graduate went from dancing The Nutcracker to growing a ballet company.

Ancient Egyptian painted sarcophagus with detailed hieroglyphs and a woman's face.

Padimut at Harvard

A rare Egyptian mummy case is on display at the Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East.

Most popular

Historic brick building with a tall, ornate tower against a clear blue sky.

Explore More From Current Issue

A man with a long beard and formal attire stands next to a chalkboard with an equation.

Harvard History

Two tales of University greats—and an encounter with a Tiger

Two fans celebrate in front of a TV showing a football game.

Research

A new Harvard Kennedy School project aims to harness the power of feral fandom.

St. Peter's Basilica at sunset, illuminated by purple and orange sky reflections in the river.

Alumni

For advocacy and benevolence, three late alumni are reportedly in line for the Catholic Church’s highest honor.