Filmmaker HAILE GERIMA ("Highly Guh-REE-ma"). He was born in Ethiopia and now lives in America. His latest movie, "Sankofa," ("San-KOH-fah") which he wrote and directed, is an epic about African-American slavery, from Africans' 18th century journey to America to their struggles for liberation, told for the first time from an African viewpoint. Gerima is a professor of film at Howard University in Washington, DC. Along with "Sankofa," two of his past features, "Harvest: 3,000 Years" and "Ashes and Embers" have won international awards. Recently, the Smithsonian's Museum of African Art showcased his career with a seven-film retrospective. "Sankofa" means "returning to one's roots, recuperating your losses, and moving on," in the Akan language of Ghana.
Copyright 1994 Fresh Air