Participants in the spring 2016 African Women in Film course are required to prepare and submit reaction papers, or reviews, for any two of the films we will screen in the course: Black Girl, Sisters of the Screen, Selbe, Women with Open Eyes, Sisters in Law, La vie est Belle, Monday’s Girls, Xala, and Faat Kine.
The review should have an appropriate title. It should contain at least two sections. The first section should reflect what Moscowitz calls ‘the boilerplate’ treatment and basic information. That section should tell the reader about what they might need to know about the film and its producer, director, the setting, lead characters, production funders and collaborators, etc. This section should be guided by Moscowitz. Beyond that first section is what we might call the “beyond the boiler- plate” section. Here is where you want to provide the substance of your review. The issues that grab your attention are the issues to focus on in this section. Relationships between characters, aspects of African culture, portrayals of Africa/Africans (women especially), and other issues of interest to you should be the focus. This again should be guided by Moscowitz and the Handy-Dandy Guide.