Donnerstagskino – Thursday Cinema

On the first Thursday of every month, the lecture hall of the Ethnological Museum is transformed into a small cinema.

Various documentaries and feature films are shown that otherwise rarely flutter across Zurich's screens. Under the title "Ethnological Topics of the Time" ("Ethnologische Themen der Zeit"), we offer insights into distant and close everyday life and tell stories of other life worlds and realities.

The films will be introduced briefly. Admission is free; reservations are usually not necessary.

Thursday, 6 Februar 2025, 19 Uhr, "Milisuthando" Film by Milisuthando Bongela, South Africa/Colombia, 2023, 128'; Languages: English, Xhosa; English subtitles.

A Case for Restitution in 5 Films

March to June 2025, we present a film series curated by Nigerian filmmaker and independent film curator Tobi Akinde, in connection with the exhibition "Benin Dues" and its topics of provenance and restitution. Film and talks are mainly in English.

Thursday, 13 March 2025, 7 pm
(Film 1/5)
"Statues Also Die" Film by Chris Marker and Alain Resnais, France, 1950, 30’; Language: French; English subtitles.
(Film 2/5)
"You Hide Me" Film by Nii Kwate-Owoo, Ghana, 1970, 16’; Language: English; English subtitles.
The screening will be followed by a talk with Tobi Akinde.

Thursday, 3 April 2025, 7 pm
(Film 3/5)
"Dahomey" Film by Mati Diop, France/Benin, 2024, 67’, Language: French; English subtitles.

Thursday, 8 May 2025, 7 pm
(Film 4/5)
"Restitution? Africa's Fight for its Art" Film by Nora Philippe, France, 2021, 83’, Language: French; English subtitles.

Thursday, 5 June 2025, 7 pm
(Film 5/5)
"Black Girl" Film by Sembène Ousmane, Senegal, 1966, 58’, Language: French.

About the Series' Curator
Tobi Akinde is a Nigerian filmmaker and independent film curator currently based in New Orleans. In 2020, he co-founded the Monangambee Film Foundation, a nomadic panafrican microcinema in Lagos, Nigeria, and has curated films for the Goethe-Institut Nigeria and the African Studies Book Club at the University of Cambridge. His most recent documentary work as a cinematographer, "Coconut Head Generation" (2023), won the Jury Grand Prix at Cinénma du réel, Paris, and has screened at New Directors/New Films at MoMA, New York, BlackStar Film Festival, Philadelphia, and the Geneva International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights amongst others.

You can find our complete current programme of events in our calendar.