Khartoum Review: A Mirror to Pain, Resistance, and Hope
Khartoum is a bold, experimental documentary directed by a collective of Sudanese and British filmmakers Anas Saeed, Rawia Alhag, Ibrahim “Snoopy” Ahmed, Timeea M. Ahmed, and Phil Cox. Set against the backdrop of the 2023 conflict in Sudan, the film follows five residents of Khartoum as they recount life before and during the war. Using […]
And She Didn’t Die: A Documentary from Memory
By:Tshi Malatji All images sourced from the Encounters South African International Documentary Festival “And She Didn’t Die” is not an objective and neutral media film that discursively balances accounts of Luaretta’s life. It is a discussion of memory between a daughter and her mother taking place through film. It is a personal film about political […]
The Wait – Review by Bob Perfect
An Uncomfortably Familiar Situation Imran Hamdulay’s short film The Wait is a deft and sharp look at modern day South Africa through the microcosm of an experience familiar to most South Africans- a visit to the police station. Short-films, with their need to be succinct, can often pack a powerful punch and Hamdulay delivers one […]
LEGACY: THE DECOLONIZED HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA – Review by Timothy Niwamanya
INTERSECTIONALITY AND RESISTANCE Decoloniality, as a school of thought and action, has been central to dismantling the vestiges of cultural, economic and psychological imperialism among historically-oppressed people around the world. It critiques and deconstructs widely-held colonial attitudes, white supremacist narratives and artificial social hierarchies to validate and affirm suppressed native knowledge and lived experience. Tara […]
Keba, Interrupted – Review by Tony Asankomah
A Heartfelt Exploration of Grief and Responsibility “Keba, Interrupted” is a well-put-together short film by director Meja Shoba, telling quite a poignant, relatively simple story of grief, responsibility, and family. It revolves around Keba, a character well-played by Tshepiso Jeme, whose life is shaken in turmoil following his mother’s death and the unexpected responsibility of […]
Height of the Kite – Review by Tony Asankomah
A Struggle For A Voice. “Height of The Kite” is a short documentary film directed by Mehraneh Salimian and Amin Pakparvar that explores the gender and racial discrimination women face in the Afro-Asian communities of rural Balochistan on the Iran-Pakistan border. The film in observation style focuses on Fariba, a teenage girl with aspirations of […]
V’S SECRET – Review by Timothy Niwamanya
TWO MEN AND A THONG In Bassma Nancy Farah’s 12-minute dark comedy short film, V’s Secret, the character of Adam (played by Maher Gamal) is a newly-wed twenty-something living with his wife in a Cairo apartment. Early in the film, his wife is away at work as he hangs the laundry while in-conversation with her. […]
Mamelodi – Review by Tony Asankomah
Mamelodi – A Timeline of Heroes – cultural significance of Mamelodi and its heroes covered by the darkness of history. “Mamelodi: A Timeline of Heroes” is a short documentary by Lebo Magolego that delves into the history and cultural significance of Mamelodi, a township in South Africa that has been home to Africans for centuries. […]
MASINGA THE CALLING – Review by Youssra el-Sharkawy
Masinga The Calling blends crime, mystery and black magic Despite living far away from his homeland, Masinga’s past is still haunting him, especially when this past is full of questions without answers. These questions were revived when he got the chance to come back to his homeland. Directed by Mark Engels, Masinga The Calling is […]
Month End – Review by Tony Asankomah
A cautionary tale of friends, choices and self-accountability. “Month End” is an interesting comedy set in a rural township in South Africa, where poverty, vices, and hardships are part of daily life. The story revolves around Lesego, an unemployed young woman in her late 20s, living with her grandmother in their tin house. The film, […]
