Departure

Space Is the Place

Sun Ra and his Solar Myth Arkestra return to Earth after several years in space. Ra proclaims himself "the alter-destiny", meets with inner-city youths and battles with the devil himself to save the black race.

Claustrophobia

A young black man wakes up chained in a dark room and is hypnotized by the static of a TV.

The Burden

When culture vultures apply for citizenship on a new planet colonized by Black people, three judges must decide how to deal with folks who want everything but the burden.

To the Moon

In a vibrant Afro-futuristic village powered by invention and imagination, two inseparable friends, Aisha and Neumy, set out on one last daring adventure before life pulls them in different directions. When a sudden power outage threatens to ruin their cosmic plans, Aisha’s determination sparks a bold idea that tests the limits of friendship, courage, and creation itself.

Neptune Frost

In the hilltops of Burundi, a group of escaped coltan miners form an anti-colonialist computer hacker collective. From their camp in an otherworldly e-waste dump, they attempt a takeover of the authoritarian regime exploiting the region's natural resources – and its people. When an intersex runaway and an escaped coltan miner find each other through cosmic forces, their connection sparks glitches within the greater divine circuitry.

2044

Aida Ra Mana invites you to explore a sci-fi universe set in the year 2044. In this imagined future, the story revolves around three aliens whose deep friendship unfolds in a world dominated by military rule and stringent restrictions. Through this work, Aida Ra Mana poses profound questions about resilience and the human spirit. How do we create joy and humor when faced with pervasive limitations and diminished opportunities? What does it mean to nurture friendship and creativity in an environment where one must constantly conceal their magic and beliefs from an authoritarian regime? By blending elements of science fiction with poignant social commentary, Aida Ra Mana's universe serves as a mirror to our own society's challenges and a testament to the enduring power of joy and laughter in the face of adversity.

Afro Algorithms

This 3D animated short film in the Afrofuturist genre explores the topics of AI and bias. In a distant future, an artificial intelligence named Aero is inaugurated as the world's first AI ruler. But Aero soon learns that important worldviews are missing from her databank, including the experiences of the historically marginalized and oppressed.

HARLEM FRAGMENTS

Harlem Fragments is an Afro-futurist scrapbook storytelling of a Harlem Black family's beautiful destruction during the 2008 recession. A natural disaster so mesmerizing you can't look away from the tragedy. Based on true events- The film explores the haunting societal pressures of achieving the Black American dream, told in the POV of 10 year old TJ revisiting his family's home that's up for sale. By empowering this Black boy in this film with the agency to imagine, TJ, through his own journey, finds a way to process and come to terms with his family's divorce. It's important for every Black child out there enduring the same foreign emotions to know that it's okay to feel them, and affirm that there is a future trajectory forward out of the initial destruction.

White Mirror

A young Black game designer comes face to face with covert racism after he’s transformed to look like a white man.

Crocodile Dance

When an ancient water goddess threatens her town, Roukia, a silenced musician must reclaim her voice to break a generational curse and save herself and her family.

They Charge for the Sun

In a dystopian future where people live nocturnally to avoid the harmful rays of the sun, a young black girl unravels the lie that has kept her and her sister in the dark.

Clipping: Splendor & Misery

A surreal post-apocalyptic drama by Patrick Kennelly inspired by the clipping. album “Splendor & Misery”

The Last Angel of History

An examination of the hitherto unexplored relationships between Pan-African culture, science fiction, intergalactic travel, and rapidly progressing computer technology.

O Disco das Histórias

After a flying saucer containing all the stories of humanity crashes in his backyard, a young artist seeks help to interpret its messages.

The Woman at the End of the World

The Woman at the End of the World, inspired by the album "A Mulher do Fim do Mundo (2015)" by singer Elza Soares, tells the story of Benedita and the girl Lua, two black women who saw the old world succumb and are now the only ones survivors. In this post-apocalyptic scenario, the short film portrays a journey through the search for breaking the silence, thinking about the innumerable processes of silence passed by the characters in the old world. In this sense, the end of the world is also a character, being the personification of a state of mind that permeates the loneliness of the black woman. The short film reveres female power, rescues memories, discusses affection and thinks about paths to be followed.

Mulika

An 'afronaut' emerges from the wreckage of a spaceship in the volcanic crater of Mount Nyiragongo. As he descends into the city below, encountering the people of present-day Goma, he begins to understand what he must do to change the future for his people.

Tecnoismo

BEMBÓN

Dark Matter: A History of the Afrofuture

An exploration – from Jean-Michel Basquiat to Grace Jones – of how black artists use the sci-fi genre to examine black history and imagine new, alternative futures.

Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise

Robert Mugge filmed jazz great Sun Ra on location in Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. between 1978 and 1980. The resulting 60-minute film includes multiple public and private performances, poetry readings, a band rehearsal, interviews, and extensive improvisations. Transferred to HD from the original 16mm film and lovingly restored for the best possible viewing experience.