LE SPECTRE DE BOKO HARAM – Critique par Gaël T. HOUNKPATIN
Une danse avec le Diable C’est la nuit, au loin, les aboiements d’un chien sonnent comme une alerte. Puis, le bruit laisse la place au crépitement d’un feu flamboyant qui rythme le récit d’un enfant. Ce n’est ni un conte fantastique, facétieux, encore moins un conte de fée. Il raconte les circonstances de la mort […]
MILISUTHANDO – Review by Gbenato Carolle TONOUKOUEN
The Story of a Life to Tell the Tale of an Entire People “Milisuthando,” a film by Bongela Milisuthando, uses the memories and life of the South African filmmaker to address the issues faced by South Africa after apartheid. She recalls her childhood in Transkei, her life from 1994 onwards, and the problems of racial […]
MAPANTSULA – Review by Gaël T. HOUNKPATIN
The Injustices of Soweto Mapantsula, co-written by Oliver Schmitz and Thomas Mogotlane, is a 104-minute long dramatic film that criticizes the policy of institutionalized racism in South Africa. 35 years after its release in 1988, the film is being restored in 4K, making it have its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival this year. […]
MILISUTHANDO – Review by Gaël T. HOUNKPATIN
And if apartheid had never existed? A woman undresses in front of the statue of Nelson Mandela. It is with these archival images that the director, screenwriter, and narrator, Milisuthando Bongela, draws our attention as an introduction to her historical and eponymous documentary film, which will last a total of 115 minutes. We are in […]
THE SPECTRE OF BOKO HARAM – Review by Gaël T. HOUNKPATIN
A Dance with the Devil It’s night, and in the distance, a dog’s barking sounds like an alarm. Then, the noise gives way to the crackling of a blazing fire that accompanies a child’s narration. This is neither a fantastic tale nor a fairy tale. It tells the circumstances of his father’s death—a suicide bomber […]
Terra Mater – Review by Seyi Lasisi
The Earth is Ours. In an age where hygiene- personal and global- is a flimsy afterthought, who do we hold responsible for taking care of mother earth? Who is assigned this responsibility? How do we recognize nature’s deafening cries of protest when we pay only passive attention to the well-being of the earth? These are […]
What the Soil Remembers – Review by Seyi Lasisi
Past and Present The past and the present are always in communion. Transient as it is, the past is a conduit into the gradually-forgotten history of people and the places they inhabit. A historical act of injustice committed against the people of Die Vlakte in South Africa provides material for José Cardoso’s incisive 29-minute documentary, […]
City of Ashes – Review by Seyi Lasisi
Paean to a pandemic – The year is 2035 In this Sheetal Magan directed short, the future is dystopian. Reflective of present reality, there is a prevalent health crisis, albeit one that has immense political and economic repercussions. Humanity has been divided into regimented social classes. Old habits die hard apparently. An epidemic is vigorously […]
Mirror Mirror – Review by Tonderai Chiyindiko
Witty take on female pleasure Mirror Mirror directed by fresh faced Sandulela Asanda is a refreshing take on female sexuality and pleasure told from the perspective of two friends navigating the complexities and contradictions of their entry into adulthood. This short film stars newcomers Luhle Macanda as Luthando and Buhle Ngaba as Jodie, chronicling their […]
LE SPECTRE DE BOKO HARAM – Critique par Gaël Hounkpatin
Une danse avec le Diable C’est la nuit, au loin, les aboiements d’un chien sonnent comme une alerte. Puis, le bruit laisse la place au crépitement d’un feu flamboyant qui rythme le récit d’un enfant. Ce n’est ni un conte fantastique, facétieux, encore moins un conte de fée. Il raconte les circonstances de la mort […]
