Mama Africa

Singer, talk-show host, and actress Queen Latifah puts her imprimatur on, as well as introduces, a trio of short films shot in Africa by female directors who each focus on characters with a moral dilemma. "Uno's World" deals with a teenage mother who can't accept that her rich one-night stand doesn't want anything to do with her or their child. In "Hang Time," a kid with big hoop dreams who lacks the cash for a decent pair of sneakers is invited to join a gang. "Raya" finds an older but wiser twentysomething woman, just released from jail, fighting the urge to rejoin the drug dealer for whom she took the rap. While the portrayals are sketchy and the feminist perspectives a little too schematic, the filmmaking is skillful and the stories are graced with naturalistic performances. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD extras include brief text filmmaker bios, three bonus short films: the subtitled Biutou (26 min.) by Fanta Nacro, Riches (26 min.) by Ingrid Sinclair, and the subtitled One Evening in July (23 min.) by Raja Amari; a trailer; and web links. Bottom line: an excellent extras package--essentially a whole extra film's worth--make the DVD an exceptionally good buy.] (T. Rich)