Europe takes the screen in Eswatini
Now in its 9th year, the European Film Festival in South Africa is a partnership project between the European Union (EU) Delegation, EU Member States embassies and national cultural institutes. The 2022 festival in Eswatini is presented in partnership with the EU Delegation to Eswatini and the Alliance Française. Europe is home to many highly developed film industries reflecting a diverse range of approaches to filmmaking, which offer a refreshing alternative to the Hollywood films that tend to dominate screens locally.
“Film was born in Europe and is central to our cultural heritage. The European Film Festival extends a hand to the local creative industries, as part of a wider effort by the EU to empower youth and creative persons as drivers of positive change in Eswatini,” said EU Ambassador to Eswatini, Dessislava Choumelova.
The festival showcases a high quality line-up of new award-winning films aimed at generating awareness about European films and European issues, and provoking reflection about common issues such as human relationships, cultural differences, migration, climate change and other matters.
A Swazi success story and co-productions between Europe and African countries
This year’s extension to Eswatini and Lesotho is an opportunity for new audiences to see award-winning films that are unlikely to reach local screens in these countries. A cornerstone of the programme is the presentation of one of the Swazi success stories in recent history, Liyana. Under the guidance of storyteller Gcina Mhlophe, five orphaned children in Eswatini transform past personal trauma into an original tale about a girl named Liyana who embarks on a perilous quest to save her young twin brothers. Directed by Aaron and Amanda Kopp, this well-crafted mix of animation and documentary has won awards all over the world for Liyana.
The HomeBrew segment of the festival features two Swazi short films, Lifa Lami, directed by Siphosethu and Sanele Mazibuko, and Emkatsini directed by Toa Stappard, followed by a discussion involving local filmmakers, the Eswatini Independent TV and Film Producers Association and Eswatini TV. With film industries being central to the creative economies of their respective countries, the European Film Festival includes regional productions as a small stepping stone in the path to developing a meaningful film industry in Eswatini.
The line-up also includes the Sotho film This Is Not A Burial, It’s a Resurrection - the only film ever submitted to the Academy Awards by Lesotho. Directed by Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese, it is the story of an 80-year old widow who ignites the spirit of resilience within her community when her village is threatened with forced resettlement due to the building of a dam. Liyana and This Is Not A Burial, It’s a Resurrection demonstrate the exciting potential for filmmaking that exists in Eswatini and Lesotho.
Migration is a way of life for many in Lesotho and eSwatini who travel to South Africa and other destinations in search of work or a new life. Three of the films in the festival look at migration from different perspectives. As Far As I Can Walk, the Serbian/ French/ Luxembourgish/ Bulgarian/ Lithuanian co-production directed by Stefan Arsenijević, highlights that it’s not just securing a roof over one’s head but also the challenges of emotional and intellectual deprivation that young migrants in Europe face today. The Oscar-nominated film The Man Who Sold His Skin directed by Kaouther Ben Hania is a unique co-production between Tunisia, France, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, Turkey and Cyprus that uses the tension between art and commerce as fuel for a sobering story about a Syrian refugee who allows his back to become a canvas for a famous tattoo artist. Arash T. Riahi’s Oskar and Lilli: Where No-one Knows Us focuses on two Chechen refugee children living in Austria who are separated from their mother and how their hopes of being reunited with her sustains their lives in challenging circumstances.
The programme also features, in both Eswatini and Lesotho, France and Supa Modo. The high-paced France by French filmmaker Bruno Dumont takes a satirical look at modern media through the life of a celebrity journalist who loses confidence as she experiences an identity crisis. A choice for families and younger audiences alike is Likarion Wainaina’s German-Kenyan film Supa Modo, the heart-warming story of a young girl whose dream of becoming a superhero is threatened by terminal illness, and how her village rallies together to make her dream come true.
The full programme can be found on the Alliance française in Mbabane website and Facebook page. Film-lovers should note that films from the South African programme will be available online in Eswatini between 13-23 October. See www.eurofilmfest.co.za for details.
The European Film Festival 2022 is a partnership project of the Delegation of the European Union to South Africa and 14 European embassies and national cultural institutes in South Africa: the embassies of Austria, Belgium, Georgia, Italy, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, and the British Council, Instituto Camoes (Portugal), French Institute of South Africa, Goethe-Institut, Italian Cultural Institute and Wallonie-Bruxelles International. The festival is organised in cooperation with Cineuropa and coordinated by Creative WorkZone. The programme in Eswatini is organised in partnership with the Delegation of the European Union to the Kingdom of Eswatini and Alliance française in Mbabane.
