ImageNation Kicks Off 2020 With The Apollo Theater Presentation Of COCKTAILS & CINEMA Featuring Bakoso: Afrobeats Of Cuba

ImageNation, the innovative Harlem-based non-profit dedicated to developing cinemas and audiences for independent films about the global Black experience is proud to announce the screening of award-winning documentary Bakosó: Afrobeats of Cuba on Thursday, February 20th at 6:00 p.m., as part of ImageNation's Cocktails & Cinema series at the Apollo Theater.

This screening marks the second installment of ImageNation's partnership with the legendary Apollo Theater, an ongoing quarterly event, which will highlight films that showcase the global Black experience. The screening of Bakosó is just the start for ImageNation in 2020, the organization is a key collaborator in the new Sōl Cinema Cafe that opens this spring in Harlem. The cafe will operate as a media-rich coffee shop by day, and an art house cinema by night. This groundbreaking venue will feature interior decor and design by Harlem-based creative director, Sheila Prevost, with iconography inspired by South African designer, Thulare Monareng.

"We are very excited to kick off 2020 by celebrating Black History Month with an Afro-Latinx program at the epicenter of Black culture, the Apollo Theater." says Moikgantsi Kgama, Founder & Executive Director of ImageNation. "This festive program is the perfect way to illuminate the fact that Black history, is global history."

Bakosó: Afrobeats of Cuba, winner of the Best Feature Documentary at Belize International Film Festival, was directed by Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi, curator of the Annual Fist Up Film Festival and co-founder of Defend Puerto Rico. The screening will be preceded by a reception and live DJ set by Bembona beginning at 6:00 p.m. followed by a post-film Q&A with director Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi; producer Khalil Jacobs-Fantauzzi; and Mai-Elka Prado Gil, founder of the Afro-Latino Festival of New York.

Bakosó: Afrobeats of Cuba follows DJ Jigüe to his hometown of Santiago de Cuba as he searches for new inspiration in the form of sound. Through his discovery of Afrobeats, DJ Jigüe ushers in an original sound creating a new genre called Bakosó, celebrating the connection between Africa and Cuba. The film's score, created by the founders of the genre, and stunning visuals highlight the technology, culture, and landscape that shape this Afro-Caribbean fusion.

For more information, or to view the trailer for Bakosó: Afrobeats of Cuba, please visit: http://www.imagenation.us/cocktailsandcinema

Tickets begin at $25 and includes appetizers and one beverage (wine or beer). A cash bar will be available. Tickets are available at the Apollo Theater Box Office: (212) 531-5305, 253 West 125th Street, and Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com.

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