Mini Film Series | Fashion as Resistance

The New Black Vanguard: Photography Between Art and Fashion exhibition offers new perspectives on race, gender and power through the lenses of Black fashion photographers in the US and internationally.  We are excited to present the Fashion as Resistance Mini Film Series as a complementary program which looks at style as a means of liberation in the Lusophone countries of Brazil and Angola. Both reveal that the significance of fashion extends far beyond Eurocentric magazines and elite runway shows. It can be found in the spirit and ingenuity of young people in Brazil’s favelas and in the clothes, music and dance associated with Angola’s banga aesthetic. Cornelius Moore will lead a discussion of each film following the screenings.

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This program is in-person at MoAD. Masks are required for all in-person programming.

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BANGAOLOGIA: The Science of Style (Coreón Dú, Angola, 80 minutes, 2016, in Portuguese and English with English subtitles)

What is Banga?  Swag maybe?  But much more than that. Angolan designer Shunnuz Fiel begins by proclaiming that “Angolans in Africa are the vainest of people.  Both Angolan men and women are very careful about style, very careful about their image.” Coréon Dú, the director and narrator of this documentary takes us on a journey throughout Angola where Banga originated. And while Banga certainly has its roots in Angolan identity or Angolanidade,  Coréon Dú shows how the sensation has traveled beyond that country to New York, Los Angeles and Lisbon seducing in the areas of fashion, art, festivities, dance and music including kuduro and semba.  The multitalented Dú is very involved with the fashion world having been a scout for the now famous Angolan model Amilna Estévão and designer of his own unique outfits, some of them non-binary.

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Jose Eduardo Paulino dos Santos (better known as Coréon Dú) is a multilingual Angolan recording artist, creative director, designer, screenwriter and producer. He is known for his distinct Angolan musical style, bold fashion choices and his contributions to projects inspired by Angolan Pop culture in the realms of music, dance, fashion, TV and films.  He is also a supporter of LGBT issues

Among his works are various acclaimed projects such as the writing and production of Seoul International Drama Award-winning and International Emmy-nominated series, Jikulumessu, as well as the International Emmy-nominated telenovela, Windeck, the ever-growing I Love Kuduro multi-media experience, as well as his current work with his independent entertainment company Da Banda bringing Angolan-inspired projects to wider audiences.

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Join us on February 15 for Favela é Moda (Favela Is Fashion, Emilio Domingos, Brazil, 77 minutes, 2019, in Portuguese with English subtitles).

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This program is presented in conjunction with the current exhibition The New Black Vanguard: Photography Between Art and Fashion, on view through March 5, 2023.

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