AAAS 150: Africa in Cinema

Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) are common terms and names used in American Libraries. The Library of Congress Subjects Headings (LCSH) for "film", "movies", or "cinema" is motion pictures.

Example: In Basic or Advanced Search, enter "motion pictures in Africa" and in the drop down window (left of the screen), select "LC Subj Heading" OR "Keywords Anywhere". In "Advanced Search" you limit your search to format, year, library, etc.

Use Library of Congress Subject Headings below to find books and other materials in The CAT [Penn State Libraries' online catalog]:

• Motion pictures producers and directors Africa
• Motion pictures Africa, Sub-Saharan
• Motion pictures, North Africa
• Motion pictures social Africa
• Motion pictures political Africa
• Motion pictures in Africa
• Motion pictures in South Africa
• Motion picture industry Africa
• Motion pictures Africa catalog

Selected Books about African Film

• Black African Cinema (1994) by Nwachukwu Ukadike
  Offers an informed and survey of the history and development of cinema in sub-Saharan Africa.

• Arab and African Film Making (1991) by Malkmus and Armes
  Includes sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa in its coverage.

• African Experiences of Cinema (1996) by Bakari and Cham
  A collection of documents, testimonies, and essays that address significant aspects of the experiences and challenges of cinema in various parts of Africa.

Bibliographies provide lists of books, articles, and online resources about a particular topic. Filmographies list films on about topic or by a particular director.

Some examples:

• Sub-Saharan African films and filmmakers, 1987-1992: an annotated bibliograghy

• Blacks in film and television: a Pan-African bibliography of films, filmmakers, and performers

• Twenty-five Black African filmmakers: a critical study, with filmography and bio-bibliography

• Sub-Saharan African Films and Filmmakers: An Annotated Bibliography

• Directory of African film-makers and films

• Film researcher's handbook: a guide to sources in North America, South America, Asia, Australasia and Africa

• Guide to African cinema

Encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other reference works provide background information and overviews of topics as well as references to cited works. They are a good starting point for your topic.

Some examples:

• Les cinémas d'Afrique: dictionnaire

• Companion encyclopedia of Middle Eastern and North African film

• International dictionary of films and filmmakers

Indexes and databases provide information about and access to articles about your topic. The following titles are available via the Libraries' Databases by Title [A-Z] list to researchers with a Penn State Access Account:

• International FilmArchive

• MLA International Bibliography

• ProQuest Research Library: Arts Module

• Communication and Mass Media Complete

• Film Literature Index (1976-2001)

• Film and Television Literature Index

The selected web sites below provide news and reviews of African films:

• The African Women in Cinema Project [Ecrans d'Afrique/African Screen] (Ouagadougou)

• CODESRIA [Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa] publications

• WorldViews [Instute for Global Communications]

The Penn State Libraries' Research Guide, Film/Video Studies, can also be helpful for your research.

Citation and Writing Guides [Penn State Libraries' Research Guide] provides information about how to cite books, journal articles, Internet resources, etc.

Dr. Lindah Mhando

Librarian: Sylvia Nyana