Niger Brightens Up “Purple Rain”
A few Americans may know that India has a huge movie industry — Bollywood. I doubt that even fewer Americans know that west Africa, too, has a big film biz. One of its latest products is a remake of Prince’s “Purple Rain.” One journalist comments: ‘“A revolutionary story of guitars, motorcycles, cell phones – and the music of a new generation†is how director Christopher Kirkley describes his West African re-imagining of “Purple Rain.” Set in the Saharan city of Agadez in Niger, “Akounak Tedalat Taha Tazoughai” (“Akounak” for short) is a visually sumptuous and musically thrilling movie that works splendidly with or without the “Purple Rain” mythos.’
