African movies to watch from 2012

As January 2013 slowly reaches its tail end I have had to sit down and reflect on African cinema in the year 2012. The results of my contemplation show that I have not been watching as much African Films as I ought to be. I am embarrassed to say that I did not watch any productions from the year 2012, which is a very sad state of affairs, especially since many filmmakers were hard at work last year.

As part of my New Year’s resolutions I have made a commitment to reform my erratic movie-watching. I have challenged myself to make a consented effort to watch more movies from our beloved motherland.   The exciting thing about my resolution is the abundant movies that I will get to watch.  

In recent times, films coming out from Africa are showing more and more diversity in terms of genres and themes. Gone are the days when African cinema focused solely on social and political themes. African filmmakers are now presenting fresh subject matters and styles that cater for the varied tastes that are synonymous with our continent.

Here are ten great movies that were made across the length and breadth of Africa in 2012 that are on my Must-Watch list for 2013 (in no particular order).

1      1.       Nyaminyami Amaji Abulozi (Zimbabwe)

‘Nyaminyami amaji abulozi’, a 39-minute film directed by author Tsitsi Dangarembga .  The film is based on the legendary fable of a dragon-like creature said to reside in the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe.

2     2.       After the Battle (Egypt)

‘After the Battle’ is a 2012 Egyptian drama film written by Omar Shama and directed by Yousry Nasrallah. The film competed for the Palme d'Or at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.

3     3.       The Marshal of Finland (Kenya)

‘The Marshal of Finland’, directed by a Kenyan Gilbert Lukalia, is a Finnish fictional film based on the life of Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim.  The film's world premiere was on The Helsinki International Love & Anarchy Film Festival on September 28, 2012.

4    4.       Otelo Burning (South Africa)

Shot in Durban and directed by Sara Blecher (Surfing Soweto), the film tells the story of a group of township kids who discover the joy of surfing. It's set in 1989, against a backdrop of brewing conflict between two political groups in Lamontville.

5    5.       Last Flight To Abuja (Nigeria)

The 'Last Flight to Abuja' is a film written and directed by filmmaker Obi Emelonye. The feature film was inspired by a series of aeroplane disasters that rocked Nigeria in 2006.

 

6.       ASAD (South Africa)

The story of ‘Asad’ takes us into the lives of ordinary people in a seaside village in Somalia, providing the audience with a glimpse into the daily struggles of ordinary Somalis living in a dysfunctional and failed state.Asad is a young boy faced with choices in a land where survival is a daily challenge. The film received an Oscar nomination in the Best Short Film category in 2013.

7    7.       Ties That Bind (Ghana)

The film, Ties That Bind, directed by Leila Djansi, and is a story of three women Adobea (Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde), Buki (Ama K Abebrese) and Theresa (Kimberly Elise). Though the three are from different backgrounds, they are bound together by the shared experience of losing a child.

8    8.       The Legend of Ngong Hills (Kenya)

Based on a Maasai folktale, the short animated film "The Legend of Ngong Hills" tells the story of the creation myth of the beautiful hills that backdrop present day Nairobi. The short film won the Best Animation award at the 2012 AMAA Awards in Lagos Nigeria.

       9.       The In-Laws (Zimbabwe)

‘The In-Laws’ —written and produced by United Kingdom-based Zimbabwean, Demetria Karonga, depicts a very common family setting in the UK, where Munya (Ashley Majaya) is married to Shaniqua (Julie Burleton) a white English girl with low regard for the African culture.

1     10.   Mad Buddies (South Africa)

‘Mad Buddies’ is a comedy film directed by Gray Hofmeyr, co-written by Gray Hofmeyr and Leon Schuster and starring Leon Schuster, Kenneth Nkosi, Tanit Phoenix and Alfred Ntombela.

 
 

Oscar Nominees announced and I get excited for the wrong reasons

It has become the norm that the beginning of every year is abuzz with Hollywood Award Season talk.  From Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills to Vilakazi Street in Soweto millions of people are in deep conversation and or debate about who is deserving of Hollywood’s top accolades.  Last week, I was one such person. My colleagues and I were so thrilled  about the announcement of the Academy Award nominations that we decided to have a competition to see who would predict the nominees in the various acting, directing and best picture categories.

Being the humble cinephile (A person with a passionate interest in cinema) that I am - I will not waste time telling you that I won that competition.  Though the victory made my week, my elation was cut short after realising that while celebrating knowledge of American cinema I had been oblivious to African talent making headway at those very awards.

So while I was busy predicting whether or not Quinton Tarantino or Steven Spielberg were going to get Oscar nods I had neglected to find out what African filmmakers were vying for the golden statuettes. I was mortified to discover a couple days later that – ‘Asad’, a short film shot in South Africa, had received an Oscar nod. What makes my ignorance even worse is the fact that the film had scooped Best Short Film awards at 13 festivals around the world during the past year. How had this film managed to fly under my movie radar?

The answer is simple, I - like many other Africans, am always preoccupied by what the likes of Hollywood and Bollywood are doing that we become unaware of the gems in our backyard. ‘Asad’ is one such gem - a coming of age fable of a Somali boy, named Asad, as he struggles to survive in his war-torn land. The movie takes us into the lives of ordinary people in a seaside village in Somalia, providing the audience with a glimpse into the daily struggles of ordinary Somalis living in a dysfunctional and failed state.

Now that the wool has been removed from my eyes, I am definitely rooting for ‘Asad’ to win the best Short Film Oscar – but the irony is no one seems to care. Everyone around me is too upset that Leonardo DiCaprio was snubbed at the 85^th Academy Awards.