Last year, only one African film was shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film – Morocco The Blue Kaftandirected by Mariam Touzani. It may be another tough year for African films to break through and grab a nomination or two in this category, with much of the attention being focused on films such as The Zone of Interestselected by the United Kingdom, The taste of thingsselected from France and Japan Perfect Days.
Each year countries submit a feature film produced in that country that they think is most suitable for an Oscar nomination. The decision on what is submitted is usually made by a film body that votes among itself once the criteria are met — namely that the film was made outside the US, was shown theatrically and is mostly not in English.
This year, there are several films by African directors that deserve a place on the shortlist when it is announced on December 21. Certainly, the bold vision that informs CJ ‘Fiery’ Obasi‘small Mami Wata would make the black-and-white Nigerian film a compelling addition to the list, as would the tenderness that guides Mohammed Kordofanitense Sudanese drama of Goodbye Julia or its detailed ingenuity Asmae El MoudirMoroccan documentary, Morocco: The mother of all lies.
These films are among 90 submitted from countries around the world, ahead of next year’s ceremony in March. It is also included in the list of possible candidates Baloji‘small Augere (Omen) – the first time an African director represents Belgium. Baloji’s home country, the PRC, did not submit a film for consideration.
There are only 15 places on the shortlist, with the five nominations for the category to be announced on 23 January. Last year, eight African countries submitted films for consideration. This year, there are 11. Here they are:
Burkina Faso: ‘Sira’ – Apoline Traoré
Sira – Trailer – SFF 23
When Apoline Traoré’s film debuted at the Berlinale earlier this year, Sira received top accolades from, among others Screen Dailywhich called is “a gritty, visually powerful tale of survival and revenge.” The film, which is set in the Sahel and is a co-production between Burkina Faso, Senegal, France and Germany, has won Traoré recognition from Fespaco, Toronto and other film festivals where it has played, and its story about a brave young Fulani woman taking a stand against radical Islamic terror has been praised by those who have seen it.
Cameroon: “Half Heaven” – Enah Johnscott
Half Heaven (2023) | Official Trailer
Ena Johnscott is familiar with the Oscar submission process having done so for the first time in 2020 with his previous film, The Fisherman’s Diary, which won several Africa Movie Academy Awards. This year, the board of representatives of the Cameroon Film Industry selected his latest film, half paradise, to represent the country. The film is set in Boko and revolves around a preacher who has a life-changing encounter with a sex worker.
Egypt: “Voy! Voy! Voy!’ – Omar Hilal
VOY! VOY! VOY! Theatrical trailer from Omar Hilal on Vimeo.
VOY! VOY! VOY! Theatrical trailer on Vimeo
Translated from Spanish, Voy! Voy! Voy! means “Here I come!” and it’s what the blind soccer players in writer-director Omar Hilal’s first feature say to avoid colliding with each other. The Egyptian director, who also produced the film, explores migration through the lens of a somewhat true story in which a security guard pretends to be blind so he can travel abroad and play in the Blind Soccer World Cup. The film is billed as a dark comedy, and accordingly Varietyit topped the box office in Egypt for two months.
Kenya: ‘Mvera’ – Daudi Anguka
MVERA TRAILER (Official)
In manufacturing Vera, Daudi Anguka looked to Kenya’s Giriama to create his title character. Loosely inspired by independence activist Mekatilili Wa Menza, Anguka’s hero Mvera (played by Linah Sande) takes on a mission to fight corrupt leaders in her coastal community outside Mombasa. The Swahili-language film is the Kenyan filmmaker’s feature debut, but his short film, titled Zilizala, won Best Language Film at the 2017 Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards.
Morocco: “The Mother Of All Lies” – Asmae El Moudir
THE MOTHER OF ALL LIES Trailer | TEF 2023
Asmae El Moudir’s clever use of idol models to reveal the impact of the 1981 bread riots in Casablanca on her family won her both the director prize and the documentary prize at Cannes. It was also awarded Best Documentary at the Durban Film Festival, among other awards. The Mother of All Lies was selected by the Moroccan Film Center as the country’s submission for its blend of documentary and drama.
Namibia: “Under the Hanging Tree” – Perivi Katjavivi
Under The Hanging Tree (2023) Perivi Katjavivi – TRAILER | 4° Lima Alterna IFF
This is a big move for Namibia’s fledgling film industry – for the first time, the country has thrown its hat into the ring with its submission to the international feature film category. Under the Hanging Tree is the third feature film by Perivi Katjaviv, one of the country’s few established filmmakers. It had its world premiere at the Rotterdam International Film Festival in January 2023 and uses the noir genre to look back at Namibia’s colonial past. The film borrows from Herero mythology as it tells the story of a police officer who must solve a complicated case.
Nigeria: ‘Mami Wata’ – CJ Obasi
MAMI WATA Official US Trailer | Dekanalog
Nigeria has only recently started entering films for Oscar submission but it has not been without its hiccups. In 2019, Lion heart was disqualified because there was too much English in the film. The Academy has since made the decision to accept films in Pidgin English, making Mami Wata eligible. It received the highest number of votes from Nigeria’s Oscar Selection Committee, which praised the film for its artistic and technical feats and said it is an example of the kind of work Nigerian filmmakers should strive to do. Inspired by West African mermaid folklore, the film stars Rita Edochie and Uzoamaka Aniunoh.
Tunisia: “Four Daughters” – Kauther Ben Hania
Four Daughters – International Trailer
Kauther Ben Hania has gone down this route before: in 2021, her film The man who sold his skin, brought Tunisia its first Oscar nomination. She plans to return to the mix with her follow-up, Four Daughters (Les Filles D’Olfa), a film that combines documentary with dramatic reenactment elements to unfold the story of a mother whose two daughters join Isis. It shared the documentary prize at Cannes The Mother of All Lies.
Senegal: “Banel & Adama” – Ramata-Toulaye Sy
Banel & Adama Official New Trailer (English) – Cannes Film Festival 2023
Another African director who made history, Ramata-Toulaye Sy made her debut, Banel & Adama in Cannes, where it competed for the festival’s main prize, the Golden Palm. The French-Senegalese director put herself on the cinematic map with her film, a dreamlike interrogation of love and family duty as she tells the story of a young aspiring village chief who must decide where his loyalties lie – with his people or woman he loves? In a statement, Senegal’s National Oscar Selection Committee said it chose the film for its “unique approach, technical and artistic excellence and related themes: women’s roles in traditional African societies and the effects of climate change on community prosperity”.
South Africa: “Music is My Life – Dr. Joseph Shabalala and Ladysmith Black Mambazo” – Mpumi Mbele
Music is the trailer of my life #DIFF2022
Although documentaries made by or featuring South Africans have done well at the Oscars in recent years (see Looking for Sugar Man in 2013 and My octopus Master in 2020), it is very rare for a documentary to be nominated as a country’s nomination for this Oscar category. This year’s entry is a music doc, to boot, and delves into the life of one of the country’s most revered musicians, the late Joseph Shabala, who was the founding member of Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Directed by Phumelelo Mbele, it uses interviews and song renditions to show the lasting legacy the late musician left behind.
Sudan: “Goodbye Julia” – Mohamed Kordofani
GOODBYE JULIA Trailer | VIFF 2023
Mohamed Kordofani’s first feature film is the second international feature film submitted in the country. Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o is on board to lend her weight to the film as an executive producer, saying in a statement that it “is a powerful representation of the conflict happening in Sudan right now, which is affecting millions of lives across the East. Africa. Mohamed Kordofani and the filmmakers present the themes in a beautiful, deeply personal way. I am honored to lend my voice to help bring the message of this film to the world.”
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