Still from Sékou Traoré's 'L’œil Du Cyclone'

Now that Montreal spring is finally here, cinema lovers and connoisseurs are in town for the 31st edition of Vues d’Afrique, one of North America’s oldest festivals for African and Caribbean films.

With a new four-day formula, this year’s lineup includes movies by directors from Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Morocco, Haiti, the Congo, and Burkina Faso. Burkinabé filmmaker Sékou Traoré’s L’œil Du Cyclone will open the festivities on April 29.

Rwandan-born model-turned-social activist Sonia Rolland will be present to receive a special prize for her documentary film Rwanda, Du Chaos Au Miracle, an intimate piece on a burgeoning post-genocide Rwanda.

Africa Connexion, which features up-and-coming directors based on the continent, is one of the most exciting sections this year, with movies like L’Amour En Bonus, a comedy from Côte d'Ivoire about two girls who embark on a road trip to celebrate their birthdays; W.A.K.A, the first feature film of Cameroonian director Francoise Ellong, tells the story of a mother who turns to prostitution to provide for her son; Coupé-Une Histoire Décaléedocuments the birth of the Ivorian musical phenomenon that is Coupé Décalé.

The festival is also premiering vuesdafrique.tv, a free online platform for some of the films presented during the festival. Right now only short films are available, but this summer the website will offer movie rentals for a minimal fee à la Netflix.

Festival Vues d’Afrique takes place in Montreal April 29- May 3. Watch excerpts from films showing at thee festival in the clip below.

Samantha Etane is a lover of images and words. Follow her on Twitter @samanthaetane and her lifestyle and design blog Tam + Sam.