Fiction
eVideo
Details
PUBLISHED
[San Francisco, California, USA] : Kanopy Streaming, 2022
DESCRIPTION
1 online resource (streaming video file) (117 minutes): digital, .flv file, sound
ISBN/ISSN
LANGUAGE
NOTES
Title from title frames
Berlin-based Mosotho filmmaker Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese’s devastating and hypnotic THIS IS NOT A BURIAL, IT'S A RESRRECTION is already one of the most esteemed African films ever to hit the international festival circuit, earning the Special Jury Prize for Visionary Filmmaking at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, before taking home Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Cinematography at Africa’s Academy Awards. Deserving comparison with the work of Pedro Costa, Andrei Tarkovsky, and Souleymane Cissé, This Is Not a Burial marks the introduction of a major filmmaker and the final powerhouse performance of a remarkable actress. The late Mary Twala Mhlongo, recognizable from Beyoncé’s blockbuster musical Black Is King, gives a heartbreaking career-capping performance as Mantoa, an 80-year-old woman who has lived in a small Lesotho village for her entire life. While preparing for her own death, she receives word of an accident that has killed her only son, leaving her entirely alone, with only the respect of her community, the traditions of her ancestors, and the courage of her convictions. When her community must relocate to make way for a nearby dam which would flood her family’s burial ground, Mantoa draws a line in the sand and becomes an unlikely political and spiritual leader. Cryptic, impressionistic, and informed by magical realist literature, THIS IS NOT A BURIAL, IT'S A RESRRECTION contains some of the most striking visual compositions in contemporary cinema, all the more impressive considering this is the first feature-length film for both cinematographer Pierre de Villiers and production designer Leila Walter. The cumulative power of Mantoa’s sacrificial crusade, Mhlongo’s earthy performance, and Mosese’s visionary artistry announce an unmistakable landmark in African cinema
Film
In Process Record
Jerry Mofokeng, Mary Twala Mhlongo
Originally produced by Dekanalog in 2019
Mode of access: World Wide Web
In English