“Until the lion learns how to tell its story, tales of the hunter will always be glorified”
China Achebe
Celebrate African filmmaking talent by watching these magnificent films. It’s easier to watch African films now thanks to streaming services such as Netflix, YouTube, irokotv and Showmax.
Over the past year, the list of films coming out of the continent is truly an embarrassment of riches. We’ve rounded up our favourites here.
Tales of the Accidental City
Maïmouna Jallow’s film, starring Eddy Kimani, and produced by Positively African, is ostensibly a portrait of Nairobi but could in many ways be about any African city experiencing the cultural and socio-economic consequences of inexorable population growth. The film tells the story of four seemingly ordinary Kenyans – Diana, Jacinda, Louis and Sarah – who find themselves in a Zoom- based anger management class after being accused of a variety of misdemeanours. But what exactly were these so-called misdemeanours? The characters (including their quirky counsellor) cut across social classes, backgrounds and generations, which should bring depth to the story, while the Zoom element holds a modern resonance. Expect a highly original film that brings to the fore persistent, all-too-familiar issues of social inequalities and injustice. Unfortunately, viewing of the film is restricted to the US only, but you can watch the trailer here.
The 64th San Francisco International Film Festival, where the film will hold its premiere, runs until April 18. You can purchase tickets to attend the festival in-person at the Fort Mason Flix drive-in theatre, California, US or buy streaming passes for online screening.
Rocks – A love letter to African communities in London
“Real queens fix each others’ crowns”
Described by the Guardian as a ‘wonderful, heart-breaking, life-affirming gem of a movie’ and amassing no less than eight BAFTA nominations, Rocks is a movie you won’t want to miss. Written by the wonderful Nigerian- British Theresa Ikoko ( think Nigerian equivalent of Ken Loach), Rocks is a story of the value of communities and friendships, with themes such as family responsibility, mental health and rites of passage explored, too. The film’s protagonists are Shola, AKA ‘Rocks’, astonishingly well-played by Bukky Bakray in a towering performance; her young brother, Emmanuel, played by D’angelou Osei Kissiedu; and the Somalian Sumaya, Shola’s close friend played by Kosar Ali. It is a raw, earthy, authentic film about survival in modern-day London, with a focus on the communities that hold lives together. See it on Netflix. Watch the trailer here:
The man who sold his skin
It’s a filmic landmark for Tunisia, (Tunisia’s first Oscar Nominee) – The man who sold his skin was nominated in the Best International Feature Film category in this year’s Academy Awards. It also boasts another first: director Kaoutha Ben Hania is the first Muslim woman who has competed in this particular category.
Firsts aside, this intriguing film focus on a Syrian refugee in Beirut, Lebanon (Sam, played by brilliant actor Yahya Mahayni), who makes a Faustian pact with an artist Jeffrey Godefroi (played by Belgian actor Koen De Bouw) by agreeing to have his back turned into a canvas for a renowned tattoo artist, in return for a passage to Europe (being transformed into art allows Sam to be shipped around the world like a commodity, without the usual requirements made of normal humans). This certainly imaginative film explores an important question (albeit against the backdrop of a harrowing humanitarian crisis): if you commoditise a human being, how does that affect its place in the world? Ultimately, this is a film about exploitation, freedom and human dignity, but it also tells us what we already know –you cannot assert your value as a human being and as a commodity at the same time. Watch the movie here and see the trailer below.
His House
A Nigerian film by Remi Weekes starring the exceptional Sopé Dirisu and the enormously talented Wunmi Mosaku is essentially a tale about the marriage of two Sudanese refugees who are haunted by shared multiple traumas. The film earned Weekes a BAFTA award for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer.
It’s a horror movie (the refugee experience is horrifying) – you have been warned – but a brilliant and tenderly portrayed one; one that reminds you that the ghosts that accompany you in life are always much more frightening than the ones that belong elsewhere. Watch it on Netflix; trailer below.
The Milkmaid
Desmond Ovbiagele’s film is inspired by the terrorist movement Boko Haram, whose deadly activities in Nigeria started in 2009; the group have now claimed the lives of more than 37,000 people. As such the film explores the traumatic experience of the women and the girls affected by the evil visited upon them by Boko Haram, symbolically focusing on the plight of a Fulani milkmaid, Aisha, in search of her missing, younger sister Zainab. The film stands out not only for its compelling narratives – extremism, enslavement and misogyny are foregrounded – but also for the superb, clever cinematography. The Milkmaid was the Official submission of Nigeria for the ‘Best International Feature Film’ category at this year’s. You can purchase the film – but only if you are in the US.
BONUS
Although not an ‘African film’, Lupin is the film to see right now, if you haven’t already. It’s a superb, engrossing, nail-biting, squeaky-bum-time espionage thriller with a magnificent cast and sublime pacing – every moment is suspense-filled. The film stars the magnetic French actor Omar Sy (Senegalese/Mauritanian parentage) in the role of Assane Diop, and retells the classic French story of Arsène Lupin, the world-famous ‘gentleman thief’ and master of disguise, who sets out to avenge the death of his innocent father. This retelling lives up to its source material and then some.
The movie is effectively a streaming television series broken down into two parts on Netflix: Part 1 comprises five episodes; we don’t quite know how many episodes will be in Part 2, but we do know to expect the second part before the summer. Props to the young Assane Diop, brilliantly played by Mamadou Haidara. The film was ranked number 1 in France and in many other countries around the world. Watch it now on Netflix (you can watch it dubbed into English)
