Rapper-turned-filmmaker Baloji’s directorial debut is a magic-realist tale of family, relationships, suspicion and belonging. Following Koffi’s (Zinga) return to his birthplace, it explores the weight of beliefs on one’s destiny through four intertwined characters accused of sorcery. In a visually extravagant and entertainingly humorous depiction of troubling Congolese themes, Baloji guides his film into the […]
Set in the matriarchal ocean village of Iyi, where West African water deity Mami Wata reigns via the village leader, this genre-bending tale brings to life a futuristic fable that fuses spiritual beliefs with inter-generational tensions. Vividly shot in black-and-white by the talented and award-winning Lílis Soares, Obasi’s third feature is an ambitious visual experience. […]
In a remote village in northern Senegal, Banel (Mane) revels in domestic bliss with her beloved Adama (Diallo). However, individual freedoms soon clash with communal superstitions, and blessings become curses. Sy sets the ferocity and resilience of Banel, a descendant of Medea and Lady Macbeth, against powerful images of sandy apocalypses. Premiering at Cannes, this […]
Six-year-old Cléo (Mauroy-Panzani) loves her nanny Gloria (Zego) more than anything. When Gloria has to return to Cape Verde to her own children, Cléo’s brave little heart learns that sometimes to love someone means to set them free. This Cannes Critics’ Week solo debut is made radiant by an amazingly accomplished performance from its young […]
In the mean streets of Casablanca, a father and son get by on petty crimes for a local mob. After a kidnapping gone wrong, they set off on an urban odyssey through junkyards and gas stations, trying to dispose of a body. Lazraq’s promising debut probes into the incongruency of criminals with a spiritual conscience […]
The life of Olfa, a Tunisian woman and mother of four daughters, oscillates between light and shadow. After the disappearance of her two eldest daughters, Ben Hania calls upon professional actors to fill their absence, setting up an extraordinary film mechanism and unveiling an intimate story of womanhood. This hybrid documentary premiered at Cannes and […]