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Kabwita Kasongo

Actor
Kabwita Kasongo is a filmmaker from Zambia. His short film *After the Night, the Day* (2021) premiered at the pan-African film festival FESPACO. With his subsequent work *Zambian Spacemen* (2023), he was invited to the Berlinale Shorts competition in 2024. As a director and screenwriter, Kasongo is currently developing his first feature film, titled *This Side of Town*.

Films

Makala

Makala

By Emmanuel Gras

2017 | 97 min | Documentary

Sweat, heat, charcoal: a young man in the Congo is fighting with his bare hands for a better future—and paying a high price for it.

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Le Ciel, la Terre et L'Homme

Le Ciel, la Terre et L'Homme

2018 | 70 min | Documentary

Ahmed, Yussef, Lahcen and Idir live in the tension between a traditional, nomadic way of life and modern conveniences and problems. Caroline Reucker's film approaches these people, their stories of city and country, their everyday life, their longings and their sense of home and belonging.

Uncomfortably Comfortable

Uncomfortably Comfortable

2021 | 72 min | Documentary

The film is a portrait of Marc Thompson, a man in his sixties who lives in Brooklyn, and his struggle for existence. Maria Petschnig, the filmmaker, documented his life, his daily routine, and his thoughts on the world and society over the course of a year. Marc's voluntary homelessness is due to psychological and economic reasons, and it is a reflection of his past experiences. His story is one of resilience and sensitivity, despite the challenges he has faced. The film is a reflection on vulnerability ...

A Boy's Dream

A Boy's Dream

2023 | 30 min | Independent

Elias has always desired to have children and dreams of starting a family. In contrast, Christian values his current free-spirited lifestyle in an open relationship, giving him and his partner the time and resources to travel, purchase expensive designer furniture, and care for one another. Elias manages to suppress his longing for a family for a long time. However, upon commencing his new job as a psychologist at a boarding school, it seems as though the dam has broken. He must come to terms with ...

The Queen's Courtyard

The Queen's Courtyard

2006 | 80 min | Documentary

Eva Heldmann's documentary THE QUEENS COURTYARD centers around Princess Nnana, the great-granddaughter of King Bathoen I, who is considered one of Botswana's visionary founders of the 19th century. After the death of her brother Prince Seatla, a funeral ceremony offers intimate insights into their way of life. The villagers are busy with the preparations, cows are slaughtered, state ministers offer condolences and the president of the country flies in by helicopter. "An absorbing and fascinating ...

Bintou

Bintou

2014 | 64 min | Documentary

BINTOU bicycles from door to door, selling her clothes mostly to white expats who don't haggle over prices. She films her latest creations with a small camera, chats at the Internet café, and reenacts TV casting shows with her friends. The 24-year-old has high ambitions, but her 7-year-old daughter wants to live with her again. Will BINTOU succeed in balancing a fashion label, private life and raising children?

Meanwhile in Mamelodi

Meanwhile in Mamelodi

2011 | 74 min | Documentary

Father Steven puts all his energy into his small kiosk in the middle of the township. Meanwhile, daughter "Moskito" struggles through the turmoil of puberty and dreams of a career as a professional soccer player or paleontologist. A family portrait, away from the flashy World Cup broadcasts, about two South African generations, their dreams, disappointments and realities. "One-thousand-watt personalities combined with beautiful lensing make MEANWHILE IN MAMELODI a star thesis project from tyro ...

Honey and Ashes

Honey and Ashes

1996 | 76 min | Timeless

HONEY AND ASHES sheds light on the story and fate of three women trapped between tradition and modern life in North Africa today. Naima, a doctor, Amina, a graduate, and Leila, a young student, are pursuing their individual routes to an independent life when their paths cross. “Fares’ script is intelligent and dramatically involving.” (Variety) Aged just twenty, Leila (Nozha Khouadra) is a young, rebellious woman with an unbridled desire for freedom. She leaves her family and embarks on a degree ...

Muller Corner Africa

Muller Corner Africa

2014 | Documentary

MULLER CORNER AFRICA is a documentary series about a forgotten African Quarter in Berlin-Wedding. Director Martin Helmbrecht meets it diverse inhabitants. Rob is a second-generation owner of the "Roy Dunn's Western Gates" shop. Israel Kaunatjike and Mnyaka Sururu Mboro explain the district's colonial street names and their own life stories and the struggle against colonialism. Bakri Maslmani is a Syrian musician who studied Arabian classical music. After more than ten years in Germany, he made his ...

Nollywood – Filmbusiness African Style

Nollywood – Filmbusiness African Style

2020 | 65 min | Documentary

The opportunities in the burgeoning industry attract diverse characters. Director Abba Makama sees the moment for an intellectual cinematic movement, a sort of Nigerian New Wave. Bastian Gotter, a young investor from Berlin, tells how he and his Nigerian partner – almost by accident succeeded in founding the largest streaming service in Africa. Popcorn cinema producer Don Omope also wants to make use of the positive spirit: „We are here to become the Nigerian Tarantinos and Steven Spielbergs.“

Yves' Promise

Yves' Promise

2019 | 79 min | Documentary

Eight years ago, Yves left Cameroon for Europe to give his family a better life. Since then, he twice has crossed the Mediterranean in an inflatable boat, but he lives in squats and under bridges and yet cannot return out of shame. "The film shows that there is no single refugee fate, but that there are still others, people who hope and fear and love and demand. That is the deeply humane essence of this film." (epd-film.com)