Event Calendar

In association with the "Things Fall Apart" Exhibition at Gallery 72

The Film "Things Fall Apart" by German director Jason Pohland, based on the novel by Chinua Achebe, will be screened
on Wednesday March 12, 2025
at 7:00 PM
at the Tara Theatre
Follow the link to buy your tickets:
https://www.taraatlanta.com/movie/things-fall-apart/

Thanks to the many program partners:
Modern Film Archive, Berlin
City of Atlanta Mayor's Office of Cultural Affairs
City of Atlanta Mayor's Office of International and Immigrant Affairs
City of Atlanta Mayor's Office of Film and Entertainment
BronzeLens Film Festival ATL
Kultur Ensemble ATL (Geothe-Zentrum ATL & Alliance Francaise ATL)

_______________________________________________

The story:

When Obi Okonkwo completes his studies in England and returns to Nigeria, he finds himself in a country marked by rapid industrialization and deep political change. In a time of social upheaval, Obi represents modern Nigeria. Through his gaze, his own expectations, those of his environment, and the woman he loves become visible. And the disappointment of these expectations. Obi experiences the spreading corruption, the dominance of the Europeans and the conflicts with the values of traditional societies. In flashbacks, his struggle is interwoven with that of his grandfather Okonkwo. The latter experiences the first foreign influences in his village of Umuofia, from the arrival of the Christian missionaries to British colonialism.

Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the premiere of the Nigerian-German-American movie “Things Fall Apart” in Atlanta, the Kultur Ensemble Atlanta – a collaboration between the Goethe-Zentrum Atlanta and the Alliance Francaise d’Atlanta – presents the screening of the movie on March 12 at Tara, as well as the exhibition THINGS FALL APART - Film Stills by Stephen Goldblatt at Gallery 72, in cooperation with the Modern Film Archive Berlin, the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Cultural Affairs and the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of International and Immigrant Affairs.

Created in 1970/71 in Nigeria, little was known about the circumstances and the making of the film Things Fall Apart. The exhibition showcases the long lost documents of the making of the film, the connection and struggle between Africa and the West, between generations and cultures, and also the story of Nigerian-Atlantan collaboration, the shaping of modern, global Atlanta and Sister Cities relationships, the Black film industry, African royalty, and ATL-local high-profile changemakers.

The 1974 premiere of Things Fall Apart in Atlanta draws direct connections to the election of Maynard Jackson in the same year, as the Nigerian co-producer, legendary filmmaker Francis Oladele, was his brother-in-law. Moreover, the premiere was directly connected to the founding of the Mayor’s Office for Cultural Affairs and the establishment of the Atlanta-Lagos Sister City partnership, which both celebrated their 50th anniversary just recently.