EVENT: Film screening of Waiting for Happiness (Heremakono, 2002) directed by Abderrahmane Sissako

Waiting for Happiness, the latest film by African director Abderrahmane Sissako, will be presented at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19, at George Eastman House as part of the Society and Film Series organized by the Frederick Douglass Institute for African and African-American Studies. The showing is free to University of Rochester faculty, students, and staff with identification.

A port city on the West African coast sets the stage for what critics describe as the film’s deep, methodical look at people brushing up against foreign influences. The winner of eight international awards, Waiting for Happiness (Heremakono) is considered Sissako’s continuation of themes in his acclaimed Life on Earth (La Vie sur Terre, 1998). The film is in French with English subtitles.

The main character, Abdallah, returns to his homeland, and finds himself a stranger to his own community and language. He tries to absorb as much color and as many experiences as possible before embarking for Europe.

Sissako, who has lived around the world, was born in Mauritania, the location for Waiting for Happiness. He spent his childhood in Mali, and studied at the Moscow Film Academy before moving to Paris.

Co-sponsored by the Frederick Douglass Institute and the Film and Media Studies Program at the University of Rochester, the film will be shown at the Dryden Theater of George Eastman House, 900 East Ave.

For more information, contact the Frederick Douglass Institute at x5-7235.