Cinematheque Film, Dahomey (FREE), 2024 Berlin Film Festival Winner. Bring +1

Revel in Cinematheque's free offerings for classic, international, and art house films. Dahomey is a 68 minute documentary film (rated 98% on Rotten Tomatoes) on the return of looted royal treasures to their country of origin (Benin, formerly the Kingdom of Dahomey). Cinematheque has one of the finest projection facilities in Wisconsin, and is operated by UW-Madison and the WI Center for Film and Theater Research.
The Guardian four-star review is here.
The complete listing of Fall 2024 film events is here.

Since this is an evening event, we invite women in this meetup group to bring a spouse, partner, or friend. (In contrast our daytime events are generally women only.)

The story of the Benin bronzes, dating from the 13th to 16th century, is a moving and traumatic story of appropriation, self-determination, and restitution. The works are truly amazing, and represent the highest level of craftsmanship and themselves tell the story of Dahomey. Over 5000 of these artifacts were scattered to famous museums and collectors all over the world for almost 125 years. They were originally looted by British colonial troops in 1897. Nigeria's mission to reclaim the bronzes began in the 1930s. This movie will dicuss the moral and pragmatic issues of repatriation, which itself is a powerful cultural and spiritual act to right the wrongs of the past, and restore justice. There are, however, voices of dissent, and real challenges associated with protecting a national heritage.
National Geo Overview of the Benin Bronzes
History of Looting and Restitution of the Benin Bronzes through 2023

Admission is first come first served, so please arrive promptly.

Should our group like to have a drink afterwards, Bistro 525 is 3 blocks away (0.4 miles) and open until 11PM. The bistro is east of the theatre so you may wish to park nearest it. Google Maps link to Bistro 525