I AM NOT A WITCH
When I saw the trailer for this film I thought it was a comedy - a dark comedy. It was more of a tragi-comedy. The scenery, people and costumes of Zambia were beautiful, it is always nice to see of slice of life from a different culture. This from the program perfectly describes it Nyoni layers magical realism, satire, and social critique to blur reality with the surreal in this original and unforgettable story
Program Description:
Description
"The child is a witch,” exclaim the villagers in the opening of this strikingly beautiful first feature by Rungano Nyoni. When young Shula is accused of witchcraft in her village, she is exiled, her movements are constrained, and she is expected to perform miracles; however, she is not prepared to live this way forever. Employing breathtaking composition, Nyoni layers magical realism, satire, and social critique to blur reality with the surreal in this original and unforgettable story.
“Shot in and around Zambia’s capital city Lusaka, and cast with non-professionals, the story is approached with a kind of deadpan eccentricity. That some of the performances are a little unpolished hardly matters – in fact the sometimes declamatory delivery only heightens the sense of matter-of-fact oddness.” – Wendy Ide, Screen Daily
“[W]hat makes I Am Not a Witch unique, however, is Nyoni’s abundant, maybe even overabundant directorial confidence. It’s rare and exhilarating that a new filmmaker arrives on the scene so sure of herself and so willing to take bold, counterintuitive chances.” – Jessica Kiang, Variety
“Shot in and around Zambia’s capital city Lusaka, and cast with non-professionals, the story is approached with a kind of deadpan eccentricity. That some of the performances are a little unpolished hardly matters – in fact the sometimes declamatory delivery only heightens the sense of matter-of-fact oddness.” – Wendy Ide, Screen Daily
“[W]hat makes I Am Not a Witch unique, however, is Nyoni’s abundant, maybe even overabundant directorial confidence. It’s rare and exhilarating that a new filmmaker arrives on the scene so sure of herself and so willing to take bold, counterintuitive chances.” – Jessica Kiang, Variety
This was the only film where I didn't get to meet one of the filmmakers.
Filmmaker Bio(s)
A native of Zambia who grew up in Wales, Rungano Nyoni began her filmmaking career as a writer and director of shorts. She developed I Am Not a Witch’s story during a Cannes Cinéfondation residency in 2013. Among the honors Nyoni has received for the film are the Douglas Hickox Award and Best Director prize at the British Independent Film Awards and a BAFTA for Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer
Trailer:
No comments:
Post a Comment