Short Films
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Asylum | Tariro | A Close-Up on Bintou | Konaté’s Gift | Didi and Gigi | Karoo | A Kosovo Fairytale | Mother’s Day | wenya, the Crocodile | Pumzi | The Tunnel
Asylum
 Fiction, 5 min
Zimbabwe, 2007
Director: Rumbi Katedza
A Sudanese woman seeking Asylum in the UK is haunted by the horrors of her past life in Darfur. This experimental film delves into the psychological warfare that is waged on innocent people’s minds every day. Asylum has been screened at numerous film festivals all over the world.
Tariro
Fiction, 10 min
Zimbabwe, 2008
Director: Rumbi Katedza
Tariro is the empowering story of a young Zimbabwean woman from Epworth, Tecla Tambandini, who overcomes hardships and abuse.
A Close-Up on Bintou
Fiction, 26 min
Burkino Faso, 2001
Director: Fanta Regina Nacro
Part of the Mama Africa series which featured six women filmmakers from six countries, this award winning short mixes humour with political awareness - a combination that has become Fanta Régina Nacro’s trademark. When her husband decides to send their two sons to school, Bintou insists that their daughter be offered the same opportunity. She sets up her own business to raise the funds and faces her husband’s sabotage. The film won the award for Best Short Film at Fespaco in 2001.
Konaté’s Gift
Fiction, 30 min
Burkino Faso, 1998
Director: Fanta Regina Nacro
Konaté’s and Diénéba’s relationship appears to be a harmonious one until Diénéba’s insists that they start using condoms. Furious, Konaté decides to turn elsewhere but failing to perform in the arms of another, he suspects that Diénéba has put a spell on him. With a humorous take on a serious issue, Nacro challenges the notion that men have the right to dispose freely of women’s bodies. The film has won awards at Fespaco, The Angers African Film Festival and Cartago Film Festival.
See filmmaker’s bio under feature length section.
Didi and Gigi
 Fiction, 7 min
Senegal, 2008
Director: Marie Ka
Didi and Gigi are twins who do everything together, including their very successful career as hand models. When Didi meets somebody special, Gigi becomes intensely threatened and jealous. She has no option but to do the unthinkable. Marie Ka’s film is a hilarious tale about sibling rivalry told in an unexpected way.
Karoo
 Fiction, 23 min
South Africa, 2010
Director: Fazila Wahab and Oliver Kohl
This debut short is inspired by the South African legend of the Karoo Ghost Hitchiker – a pale female apparition flagging down passing traffic on highways. Zoe and Mac embark on a dark ride of lust fuelled thievery and robbery. Fifteen years later, the fates of two unlikely characters collide and set into motion a chain of events that sees Zoe and Mac meet one last time. The film is shot on 35 mm, and premiered at the Cannes Film Festival Short Film Corner in 2010.
A Kosovo Fairytale
 Documentary, 15 min
Finland, 2009
Directors: Mark Middlewick, Samantha Nell, Anna-Sofia Nylund
Producer: Tapiwa Chipfupa
In the midst of war, a family flees to Finland leaving the youngest son behind. This touching tale is their message to the little brother as they try to explain their reasons for leaving him behind. Told through skilled animation and footage of the family using the internet to communicate a message, the film takes the form of a fairytale as it highlights the human tragedies surrounding civil war, where not only communities but families are torn apart.
Pumzi
 Fiction, 20 min
Kenya, 2004
Director: Wanuri Kahiu
A Sci-Fi film set in a futuristic Africa, 35 years after World War III. Nature is extinct. Asha lives and works as a museum curator in an indoor community. When she receives a mysterious box containing soil, she has to find a way to investigate the possibility of life on the outside. This film was part of the New African Cinema Programme at Sundance 2010 and is included in the LATITUDE compilation, a result of the Goethe-Institut Pan African Short Film Competition.
The Tunnel
 Fiction, 25 min
South Africa, 2010
Director: Jenna Bass
The Tunnel is one of five African shorts selected for the Focus Features Africa First Short Film Program. The story, set in 1980’s Zimbabwe during the 5th Brigade massacres, follows young Elizabeth as she uses her skills as a storyteller to save her village and solve the mystery of her father’s disappearance. The Tunnel was selected for the Focus Features Africa First Program The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2010 and was selected for competition at Berlinale 2010.
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