SAMBIZANGA
Genre
Drama
Running time
97 minutes
Year
1972
Language
Lingala and Portuguese
Subtitle
English
Country
Angola and France
Director
Sarah Maldoror
Bio
Producer
Cast
Elisa Andrade, Jean M'vondo, Dino Abelino, Benoît Moutsila, Talagongo , Lopes Rodrigues, Henriette Meya, Manuel Videira
Scriptwriter
Maurice Pons, Mario De Andre
Sarah Maldoror, a pioneer of African film-making, brings a woman’s perspective to the explosive beginnings of the Angolan war of independence. Shot in the Congo, her film is adapted from a novella called The Real Life of Domingos Xavier by Jose Luandino Vieira, which was itself based on real events. The Sambizanga district of Luanda was home to a Portuguese prison where militants were incarcerated and tortured under the colonial regime. The film follows the radical Maria (played by Cape Verde economist Elisa Andrade) as she searches for her missing husband Xavier. His discovery in Sambizanga triggers an attack on the prison by the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola – of which Maldoror’s own husband was a leader – and, ultimately, a national uprising. According to British critic Mark Cousins, the cast of activist non-professionals brings conviction to a film that is as beautifully lit as a Caravaggio painting.
Other movies
NIGHTTIME SOUNDS
Director: Zhang Zhongchen
Nighttime Sounds blends social realism with surrealist poetry to explore the emotional landscapes of women in rural China: their buried desires and muted cries for freedom, love and recognition. Eight-year-old Qing lives with her mother, while her father works in a distant city. One morning, Qing encounters a ghostly child searching for their missing mother. Through dreamlike imagery and a haunting soundscape, director Zhang Zhongchen weaves a powerful tale of memory, longing and the silence passed from one generation of women to the next.
THE STORIES
Director: Abu Bakr Shawky
In the summer of 1967 in Egypt, aspiring pianist Ahmed begins a long-distance friendship with Liz, his Austrian pen-pal. Their bond, met with suspicion by relatives, helps drive Ahmed’s pursuit of his dream: to perform in a public concert. As they navigate life’s joys and heartaches, their connection and shared ambition endure through the war, family drama and societal opposition they face in Egypt during the 1980s. The film, like Yomeddine, is infused with the director's distinct personality, showing his talent for creating characters and dialogue that are touching and memorable. This is a vivid and authentic tribute to Egypt, capturing a love story filled with the innocence and ambition of a generation during a key period in Arab history.
THE FINALE
Director: Rodolphe Chedid
In a secluded Lebanese village, Amal and Naeem, married for 50 years, find their peaceful life marked by the absence of their children, who left during the war more than three decades ago. Feeling a profound void, Amal seeks to rekindle their connection and rediscover meaning by asking Naeem to write their life story. He reluctantly agrees, and they embark on an intimate journey through forgotten memories and unspoken truths. As they revisit their past, they confront the love they’ve built and the questions that have shaped their lives. Filmed with a unique and original cinematic language, this love story is a powerful testament to how film can beautifully convey emotions, memories and the intimate details that make life extraordinary.