African Oscar© Submissions for 2024

 

In the Best International Feature Category of the Oscar race, 88 submissions are competing for 5 Best International Feature Nominations.

Out of the 88, officially there are 11 from Africa, the highest yet, up from 8 last year. I would add two more, Congo’s Omen and Senegal’s Io Capitano. Both of these were submitted by European countries (Belgium and Italy respectively). Omen is the feature debut of the Congo-Belgium director named Balogi and Io Capitano is by the renowned Italian director Matteo Garrone. However, in the eyes of the viewer, they will both be perceived as African because their subjects and stories are African. Judging from the few other African films I have seen and heard this year (Sira, Goodbye Julia andBanel & Adama), most of the films from Africa are very good. The stories are authentic and original, and production values are high. They are freer of European influence and embody more original concepts than the previous pre-pandemic decade that relied solely on European funding and workshops. While Europe and MENA continue to lend support to African filmmaking, or maybe because the Middle East is now giving more support than previously, the post-pandemic cinema out of Africa is innovative with a youthful energy bursting out on many, many levels.

The voting for the shortlist requires dividing the 88 submitted international features into groups of 12 or 13 to be seen by subcommittees of the International Film Selection Committee. Culled from these committees’ decisions, a shortlist of 15 finalists will be announced on December 21 to be voted on by the entire committee to arrive at the final five nominees to be announced on January 24, 2024 and then voted on by the entire Academy membership.

Because of their limited budgets, many of the smaller countries’ films are without publicists and so are not seen by media or cinephiles. They are only available on the Academy’s streaming platform. That is, of course, only available to Academy members. Therefore,when there is no publicist setting up screenings and inviting press, cinephiles and influencers along with Academy members, there is no word-of-mouth discussion or even knowledge of the films’ existence unless one is lucky enough to have seen them in Venice, Cannes, Toronto, Sundance or Berlin.

With little or no publicity budget, the African films are practically invisible.

Only one feature so far has a representative here in L.A. I was lucky enough to meet, see his film and speak with: Balogi, the writer and director of the Cannes’ Un Certain Regard Winner of the New Voice Award. His debut film Omen is a coproduction of Belgium and Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Belgian-Congolese filmmaker is lucky to have Belgium as his submitting country because Congo and Central Africa in general have no film infrastructure. Congo has no film laws and no official standing with the Academy.

In addition, Omen also has Memento, a top international sales agent, footing his publicity.* And still more, Balogi has a U.S. distribution deal in place with Utopia (a new small U.S. distributor). And al final, he has the honor of having a live in-person screening for the Academy sponsored by no less than Mahershala Ali, the star of Moonlight, Greenback and the upcoming Blade and Spiderman: Beyond the Spider-Verse. Balogi is on the top of my list. (Read our Interview here!)

The Italian submission Io Capitano about two young men leaving Senegal to sail to Italy may be the best film (after Gemorrah) of the accomplished director, Matteo Garrone. Cohen Media is releasing in U.S. ISA: Pathe has also licensed the film widely.**

The 11 official submissions from Africa are East African Sudan’s Goodbye Julia, West African Senegal’s Banel & Adama, Burkina Faso’s Sira, Nigeria’s Mami Wata, and Kenya’s Mvera, South Africa’s Music Is My Life and Namibia’s Under the Hanging Tree from Southern Africa, and Central African Cameroon’s Half Heaven. From North Africa come Tunisia’s Four Daughters by Kaouther Ben Hania (whose film The Man Who Sold His Skin was nominated last year), Morocco’s The Mother of All Lies and Egypt’s Voy! Voy! Voy! by Omar Hilal.

Goodbye Julia by Mohamed Kordofani premiered in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard where it won the Freedom Award. It is from the Sudan, a Central African country rarely seen in the movies. Taking place just before the secession of South Sudan it is about an upper middle class Indian Muslim family as the wife, a former singer, does her best to make amends for harm she has caused a working class Black Christian family. This well told and well produced movie opens a new and surprising window on the issue of the privileged and the not-so-privileged in their own country. Premiere Cannes Film Festival 2023 Un Certain Regard, Winner of Freedom Prize, BFI London FF. ISA: Mad Solutions***

Senegal’s Banel & Adama directed by Toulaye Sy Pular is about a couple who has loved each other since childhood who go outside their society’s mores. This is one of the more nuanced and original stories except for Omen. Premiere Cannes Film Festival 2023 Competition, Toronto Centerpiece. ISA: Best Friend Forever ****

Burkina Faso’s Sira directed by Apolline Traoré is about a beautiful nomad woman on the way to marry a man from another village and religion whom she loves. Terrorists attack, kill the men and kidnap the women, but Sira refuses to surrender to her fate without a fight and instead takes a stand against Islamist terror. Winner of Berlinale Panorama Audience Award, African Academy Award Winner for Best Director, FESPACO Winner Gold Medal. Read my blog for more information. ISA: Wide has done little to sell the rights. TV5Monde has French rights and K Amerique has French Canada. This should have sold far more widely!

Nigeria’s Mami Wata by C.J. Obasi is about two sisters who must fight to save their people and restore the glory of a mermaid goddess to the land to restore the harmony in a village when it is threatened by outside elements. Premiere Sundance 2023 winner for Best Cinematography. ISA: Alief*****

South Africa’s Music Is My Life- Joseph Shabalala and Ladysmith Black Mambazoby Mpumi Mbele is a 2023 look at Ladysmith Black Mambazo and its founder who powered the sound of Paul Simon’s Graceland. From apartheid roots to five Grammys, the story offers insights into their Graceland sessions and how their Zulu music changed the world. ISA: FilmOption seems not to have sold it anywhere (per IMDb and Cinando listing)

Namibia’s Under the Hanging Tree by Perivi Katjavivi is about a troubled police officer who battles to keep her small town in the stark Kalahari desert from being ripped apart by a horrific murder and the ghosts from a colonial past. ISA: Antidote

Cameroon’s Half Heaven by Enah Johnscott is about an evangelist and a sex worker having a revelatory encounter. ISA: Film One

Kenya’s Mvera directed by Daudi Anguka. Kenya’s seventh submission. No nominations yet. About a woman who uncovers an organ trafficking ring in her local community, loosely inspired by Kenyan activist Mekatilili Wa Menza. No ISA

From North Africa come

Tunisia’s Four Daughters by Kaouther Ben Hania (whose film The Man Who Sold His Skin was nominated last year). A documentary of a mother and her four daughters, two of whom have disappeared. The director invites two actresses in to recreate their lives. Premiere Cannes Competition 2023, Toronto 2023. ISA: The Party Film Sales******

Morocco’s The Mother of All Lies by Asmae El Moudir. A documentary on a handmade set recreating her Casablanca neighborhood, a young Moroccan filmmaker enlists family and friends to help unearth the troubling lies built into her childhood. Premiere Cannes 2023 Un Certain Regard winner for Best Director. ISA: Autlook licensed to Benelux-Vedette and France-Arizona.

Egypt’s Voy! Voy! Voy! by Omar Hilal is a popular comedy based on an incredible true story about a man who fakes blindness to join a team of blind footballers bound for Poland with the idea of fulfilling his dream of leaving his home country Egypt and living in Europe. He discoves that every player on the team is doing the same thing. ISA: AGC has sold to Pakistan-HKC Entertainment.

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*Memento has licensed Omen to Utopia for U.S., Stadtkinofilmverleigh for Austria; Pan for France; Grandfilm for Germany, Imagine for Netherlands, HHG for Russia, Filmin for Spain, AYA for U.K.

**Pathe has licensed Io Capitano to France-Pathe; India and SAARC countries (Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Myanma) to Alliance; Netherands-Paradiso; Poland-Aurora; Romania-Bad Unicorn; Spain-Youplanet; Switzerand-Pathe; U.K. & Ireland-Altitude

***Mad Solutions has licensed Goodbye Julia to Australia/ N.Z.-Potential; Benelux, Surinam, Dutch Antilles-September, France-ARP Selection; Germany, Austria, Italy-Satine; MENA-MAD; Sudan-Station; Sweden-Folkets; Switzerland-trigon; Taiwan-Swallow Wings. CAA is representing U.S.

****Best Friend Forever licensed Banel & Adama to Australia, New Zealand-AHI; Benelux-Cherry Pickers; France-Tandem; Greece-Filmin; Italy-Movies Inspired; Norway-Njuta; Poland-Cinobo; Portugal-Alambique; Serbia-Trigon Films; So. Korea-Green Narae; Spain-Filmin; Switzerland-trigon; U.K., Ireland-We Are Parable; U.S. Kino Lorber

***** Alief licensed Mami Wata to Burkina Faso, Benin, Cameroon, Congo, Gabon, Guinea, Senegal, Niger, Togo, Rwanda-Canal Olympia; Germany-Cinemalovers; Nigeria-Flm One; No. America-Dekanalog; Switzerland-trigon; U.K., Ireland-Aya

****** Party Film Sales licensed Four Daughters to Austria-Polyfilm; Canada-Mongrel, Metropole; Denmark-Camera; Ex-Yugo-Discovery +; Finland-Cinemanse; France-Jour2Fete; Germany Rapid Eye Movies; Greece-Ama;Hungary-Vertigo; Iceland-Heimili Kvikmyndanna-Bio Paradis; Italy-Mongrel; Norway-Arthaus; Poland-New Horizons; Portugal-Nitrato; Romania-Bad Unicorn; Spain-Caramel; Sweden-TriArt; Switzerland-trigon; Tunisa-Hakka, U.S.-Kino Lorber