See all films in the Limitless series

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MoAD & SFMOMA present a screening of MAMI WATA (C.J. “Fiery” Obasi, 107 minutes, 2023. In West African Pidgin English with English subtitles), followed by a post screening discussion with LIMITLESS curator Cornelius Moore in conversation with UC Santa Barbara professor Jude Akudinobi.

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MoAD’s groundbreaking exhibition UNBOUND: Art, Blackness, and the Universe invites audiences to experience Blackness as expansive, limitless, and cosmic, reaching beyond the boundaries of Earth into space, time, and imagination.

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In dialogue, with the exhibition, the Limitless film series brings together award-winning films from across the African Diaspora, including the United States, United Kingdom, Brazil, the Caribbean, French Guiana, Nigeria, and Zambia. Spanning narrative, documentary, and experimental work, these films explore speculative futures, ancestral memory, science fiction, African mythology, and visionary figures such as Octavia Butler and George Clinton.

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Together, the exhibition and film series offer an invitation to think beyond constraint and to imagine new possibilities for being, becoming, and belonging. Select screenings will feature guest filmmakers and speakers, offering audiences a chance to engage more deeply with the stories and ideas shaping this dynamic cinematic experience.

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About the Film

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Mami Wata is the all-powerful water goddess worshipped in parts of Africa and among the African Diaspora in the Americas. In the oceanside village of Iyi, the revered Mama Efe acts as an intermediary between the people and the water deity. One day a mysterious rebel fighter appears and creates conflict in the village. The film’s stunning black and white cinematography film won a special award at Sundance.

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Mami Wata Trailer

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About the Speakers

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Dr. Jude G. Akudinobi earned his PhD in Cinema-Television from the University of Southern California and teaches in the Department of Black Studies, at the University of California, Santa Barbara. On the Advisory Boards of Silicon Valley African Film Festival, as well as African Film and Arts Foundation, Dr. Akudinobi’s, research interests and teaching span the complexities of cultural politics, postcolonial literatures, African diasporas, arts, popular cultures, media and cinemas. Notably, his works on African cinemas have appeared in various publications and anthologies.

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Cornelius Moore has a 50 year career as a film distributor, curator/festival programmer and dedicated advocate for Black film from the United States, Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe. He is Co-Director Emeritus of California Newsreel, the 58 year old San Francisco-based social issue film distribution and production company.  

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Cornelius is a film consultant and curator for, among others, the Museum of the African Diaspora, the Scribe Video Center, Filmfest DC and BlackStar and is on the Board of the New York African Film Festival.

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