One supporter is Berlin-based photographer Daniel Reiter, who met the community in 2015. He decided to create a photo series of the scene and you can now check out those pics in an exhibition at Rich Mix next month. Some of Reiter’s gorgeous snaps will be sold as limited edition fine art prints and all profits will go towards to the project, which hopes to raise enough cash to install the nation’s first skatepark.

The exhibition runs from April 6 to April 28 in the Lower Café Gallery. Find out more about Ethiopia Skate at www.ethiopiaskate.org.

Check out pics from the exhibition below:

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Pic: Nick Danziger

A cross-section of their works are presented in a new exhibition With A Conscious Eye: An Exhibition of Three Photographers, where they’re offering powerful insights into the communities they’ve visited on their travels.  The award-winning Danziger, for instance, captures Hindu pilgrims during one of the largest religious gatherings in history, while you’ll find Partyka presenting the remains of an agragrian community in East Anglia.  Constantine’s work goes even further: confined to a wheelchair since the age of 21, his photos of people in developing communities recovering from conflict are taken from a unique perspective – and the final results are nothing short of incredible. This is a rare opportunity to see travel photography at its finest with a clear photojournalism edge, so prepare to be enlightened.

With A Conscious Eye – An Exhibition of Three Photographers: David Constantine, Nick Danziger and Justin Partyka will be on view at Osborne Samuel gallery from 4 – 21 December. For more info, visit: www.osbornesamuel.com

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Monory’s direct reference to contemporary popular culture in his painting has had some critics align his 1960s work with Pop art of the period. But Monory produces a more pensive and sombre portrait of the modern world than that of his American contemporaries. Juxtaposing images from advertisements, magazines and newspapers, Monory creates cinematic, dreamlike paintings. Each is bathed in his distinctive Monorychrome filter of yellow, magenta or his signature Monorian blue.

Monory’s unexplained and incomplete narratives suggest that the artist has no intention of uniting his viewers in a shared understanding of the paintings’ content. He creates a narrative climate, but then he stops, and it’s up to us to create our own reality from his ambiguous paintings. No singular truth or meaning to be found? Oh hey Lyotard, the postmodernist theorist who defined contemporary culture by ‘incredulity towards metanarratives’. Lyotard saw something in the paintings of Monory that chimed with his own thinking and sent a letter across the French capital to tell him so. The film’s production follows the exchange of a series of letters between the two.

 Lyotard may now have had to make new celebrity friends in Paris’s Père Lachaise cemetery but Monory is still practicing artist. Space will be showing some of his film work and photography alongside the filmed conversation. (Words: Florence Ritter) 

 On until June 2nd.  For more info, visit: http://www.spacestudios.org.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/jean-fran-ois-lyotard-and-jacques-monory-screens

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The doc follows the road to the Mexico City Olympic games and the events that surrounded that fateful year. Working with a variety of found footage and interviews Norman has created a tense and emotional doc that makes for compelling viewing. It provides a great insight into the history of the time (for any of us who missed the details first time round) addressing reasons why the young athletes chose to act and the bravery it took to stand up at that moment – with innumerable sniper rifles around the stadium.

Their solidarity that day and Norman’s support for his fellow athletes stayed with the civil rights movement until his recent death. The documentary paints a genuinely heartwarming image of camaraderie, in the face of such horror elsewhere. With the Olympics around the corner it couldn’t be released at a more opportune moment so it’s a must see if you have any doubts about what sportsmen can do for the world. (Words: Laura Thornley)

Salute is on general release July 13th. 

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But by the time Elmo – first created in 1972 – became popular in the mid-80s, I’d already been won over by Kermit, Cookie and co to pay him much mind; but little did I know that loving red monster with the infectious giggle would go on to become a phenomenon, touching the lives of young people around the globe, thanks to his creator Kevin Clash. It’s his story that’s at the centre of Being Elmo, a heartwarming documentary which shows how a young, working class man from Baltimore and his obsession with puppetry would lead him to develop one of the most recognisable Jim Henson characters in the world. The witty and chronological narrative gives us a chance to discover where Kevin grew up and his early puppets, join him when he makes the big move to New York and meets his mentors Kermit Love and Henson, and even see glimpses of his personal life and the impact his talent had on his ex-wife and daughter. But this isn’t your typical “truth behind the man” doc that tries to dig up scintillating skeletons (although the source of Clash’s talent is never quit nailed, we don’t get an insight into his net worth while the uniqueness of being a rare black puppeteer is briefly skirted over). Rather, with the help of narration from Whoopi Goldberg and an insightful range of interviews from family and friends, the doc’s cheerful moral and story will leave you nothing short of inspired.

In UK cinemas from April 27th.

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Cast: Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, John Evans Atta Mills, John Kofi Agyekum Kufuor, Jerry John Rawlings

Directed by: Jarreth Merz

Critics say: “A valuable glimpse into the politicking of the 2008 general election in Ghana, An African Election is a suspenseful, well-edited documentary by Swiss film-maker Jarreth Merz filled with big personalities, colourful speech-making and high-stakes intrigue” Mike Goodridge, Screen Daily

Release date: in cinemas now

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However, this isn’t a film of just speeches and images of riots – we are also treated to unguarded, funny, and tender moments. We see Stokely Carmichael talking with his mother, Angela Davis speaking with a freedom the US press would not have allowed and we see heart-warming and heartbreaking clips with people who are unknown but not unimportant.

By focusing on the humanity and not the militancy of the Black Power movement, Olsson has created a film that is both accessible and relatable to anyone. The significance of this time is also beautifully contextualised by contemporary audio commentary from the likes of Erykah Badu, Talb Kweli, and even Angela Davis herself. Still at 96 minutes long, it can only ever scratch the surface – but where it’s light on content and a clear editorial thread (hence the “mixtape” reference), it’s made up by  a head-nodding film score provided by Questlove and Om’Mas – a fitting backdrop to a moment in history that still bears relevance today. (Words: Femi Martin)  

In cinemas October 21st. For more info visit: www.blackpowermixtape.com

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It its opening minutes, When China Met Africa informs us that in November 2006,  Beijing cemented its long-term relationship with Africa by hosting a summit of 48 African heads of state. Fast-forward three years later, and filmmaking brothers Nick and Marc Francis examine the current state of this relationship by following the lives of three people from different social classes in the country of Zambia: Mr Liu , a farmer who has just bought his fourth farm and sees his business booming, Mr Li , a road project manager, who is upgrading Zambia’s longest road and Mr Mutati, the country’s Trade Minister who is planning to go to China to secure millions of dollars of investment.

What is evident throughout the film is the inherent tendency of Chinese to jump at every opportunity that comes their way and try to get the best out of it, demonstrated for example in the story of Mr Liu who quit his office work in his country looking for a better future and in the Minister Mutati’s apposite description of the different method of approach that the Western and Chinese investors use.

However, while the film makes a strong case for China’s entrepreneurial spirit being a cardinal reason for forging a relationship with Africa, there are only glimpses of how this partnership has affected the lives of the locals.

Final verdict:  An interesting but somewhat one-sided approach to a really complicated yet  important subject.

(Words: Apostolos Kostoulas)

In cinemas October 7th.  For more info visit: www.whenchinametafrica.com

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But this story is not merely about one man and his child; rather it’s about one man and his children. During her search for Jeffery, JoEllen discovered something unexpected; around a dozen half-siblings. The uncanny similarities of the donor children are juxtaposed with their individual reactions to Jeffery and the thoughts about their conception.

Donor Unknown tries to facilitate empathy and understanding of sperm donation rather than approach it with the pragmatic, sterile perspective of an outsider. Disappointingly, this means that the film only brushes upon the deeper social and ethical concerns surrounding third party reproduction but will make you curious to know more. As people move further away from traditional ideas of family and conception these are the stories that will define generations to come. (Words: Beth Downey)

Now Showing. For more information visit: www.donorunknown.com

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Expect a hard-hitting (literally) look at the journey players such as Viv Richards, Colin Croft and Clive Lloyd took to prove that the Caribbean boys were more than just a laughing stock (something England definitely found out the hard way). The use of a pumping reggae soundtrack to accompany the interviews links in with the Rastafarian teachings about ‘Babylon’ — the negative system holding down the people of the African Diaspora. The fight against colonial oppression, using the power of cricket, is also an underlining theme that runs throughout the movie.

Verdict: A must-see for the younger generation and those in search of a spark of inspiration. (Words: Aaron-Spencer Charles)

Out in Cinemas from May 20th.

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