Pass The Popcorn: 'To Repel Ghosts' Examines Basquiat's Time In Côte D'Ivoire

Director Phillipe Lacôte delves into the untold story of Jean-Michel Basquiat's trip to Côte D'Ivoire in his film To Repel Ghosts, screening this week at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on February 6th and 8th as a part of the African Metropolis series. Lacôte's film is one of six shorts by filmmakers hailing from the continent, representing Abidjan, Nairobi, Cairo, Johannesburg, Lagos and Dakar. The film - whose title references Basquiat's piece of the same name - retraces a physical and spiritual journey that the celebrated artist took two years before his untimely demise. The film chronicles his travels as he faces demons and even experiences a premonition of his own death. Check the footage below to peep the teaser for Phillipe Lacôte's Basquiat tribute film To Repel Ghosts. Head over to Okayafrica for film and festival details.