#Rungano Nyoni

[fuckyeahwomenfilmdirectors]

 Rungano Nyoni and Susan Chardy at the photocall for On Becoming a Guinea Fowl.

[oldfilmsflicker]

new-to-me #495 - On Becoming a Guinea Fowl

[directedbywomen]

Celebrating Rungano Nyoni! "...I learned cinema through doing. I never went to film school, I’m self-taught—so all the other films, in my shorts, I was still trying to learn the language of cinema. Here, I wanted to do something cinematic [laughs]. Something that you could take the volume down and watch..." Read more in MUBI's interview.

I Am Not a Witch (2017)

"The events of the movie revolve around a young girl sentenced to life imprisonment at a state-run witch camp, and Nyoni envisioned it as a dark comedy that tackled the country’s history of misogyny."

Read more in IndieWire's ‘I Am Not a Witch’: How a Satire About Misogyny Is Transforming Zambia’s Film Industry.

Listen (2014) directed with Hamy Ramezan

Mwansa the Great (2011)

Visit Nyoni's website for more information about her work.

[xavierkat]

Sometimes a film becomes meaningful because others make you see it through their eyes.

I am not a witch, Rungano Nyoni, 2017

[trilhadomedo]

On Becoming A Guinea Fowl | Trailer | A24

[chinchillasorchildren]

Films of 2024/25: On Becoming A Guinea Fowl (dir. Rungano Nyoni)

(3.5/5)

[randomrichards]

I AM NOT A WITCH:

Strong willed girl

Enslaved by superstition

Roped by con artist

[alianisplace]

Hablemos de “I am not a witch”

Sinopsis: Shula es la primera niña llevada a un campamento de brujas en mitad del desierto, donde se le dice que si intenta escapar, será maldecida y transformada en una cabra.

Año: 2017.

País: Zambia, Reino Unido, Francia, Alemania.

Directora: Rungano Nyoni.

Guion: Rungano Nyoni.

Fotografía: David Gallego.

Género: Drama.

¿Prefieres vivir como “atracción de feria”, esclava del gobierno y sin libertad ninguna durante el resto de tu vida, o negarte a la sumisión y convertirte en una cabra?

Que gran película nos presenta Nyoni. Es envolvente y cautivadora, además tiene un guion con aire feminista muy interesante, una fotografía absurdamente bella y múltiples metáforas y simbolismos que hacen que, en general, la película merezca todos los premios y nominaciones que tiene.

Primeramente quiero resaltar la gran interpretación de Margaret Mulubwa como Shula, su actuación es tan pura y emotiva, que logra atrapar muy bien a la audiencia y así transmitir la esencia de este personaje tan importante.

Además, esta película tiene una de las mejores fotografías que he visto en el cine, eso y que desde su colorimetría fría nos da un ambiente más melancólico que siento que acompaña muy bien la trama de la vida de Shula.

"Cada fotograma puede ser un fondo de pantalla"

Por otro lado están los múltiples simbolismos que tiene el film, pues le dan mucha mas fuerza al guion y hacen que el personaje de Shula se desarrolle perfectamente limpio.

Desde el inicio se muestra a la nena con una personalidad timida y cautelosa, no sabemos quíen es ni de donde viene, solo que por una casualidad un día es acusada de ser bruja y "condenada" a una vida reprimida y sin libertad. Aquí nace una metáfora de las más importantes y es a partir de ese "como no eres nadie, yo te daré un lugar en el mundo", pues a Shula la bautiza "una de las suyas", otra bruja, y la niña no refuta ni pronuncia una sola palabra, pareciera resignada a la sumisión por y para el gobierno.

"-La he llamado Shula... -Es un buen nombre, es un nombre muy lindo...-Significa ser desarraigada, esta niña ha sido desarraigada"

También, otro de los aspectos mas relevantes es la crítica hacia el gobierno y sus jerarquías de poder y de género, pues desde la primera vez que nos presentan el personaje de Mr. Banda, este está siendo atendido por mujeres (primero su esposa, que por cierto, también es una bruja; y luego la comunidad de mujeres que él mismo formó).

-Es por eso que están aquí, solo para mostrarlas a la gente, a los turistas.

Más adelante empezamos a ver el desarrollo del personaje de Shula, se la empieza a ver un poco más comoda en su comunidad (pues creo yo que siente que pertenece a ese lugar), habla un poco más, aceptó su identidad como Shula, le sirve al gobernador sentenciando criminales, baila y hace todo un ritual para que llueva; se volvió una bruja más. Sin embargo, Shula empieza a adquirir más carácter y tiene pequeños momentos de rebeldía, donde descaradamente y sin aparente preocupación, desafía las ordenes del señor Mr. Banda. A partir de estos momentos es que nos van aproximando el final.

¿Y si ella en realidad es solo una niña?

El final. Este final me deja con muchas dudas al aire que creo que lo mejor es dejarlas pasar sin respuestas concisas, pues realmente no tengo nada para refutale al guion y a su final tan abierto, pues quizá simplente me perdí buscandole interpretaciones a todas sus metáforas, pero de igual forma, quiero dejar aquí registradas mis preguntas por si algún dia las podré responder.

¿Es relevante el hecho de que Shula sea una niña? ¿Por qué no es una mujer mayor como las demás brujas?

Estas culturas están llenas de rituales simbolicos y espirituales, entonces, ¿será que realmente murió o simplente huyó y todo esto que parecía un funeral realmente fue ese "rito de despedida"?

¿Las demás mujeres de la comunidad se sintieron motivadas por Shula para enfrentar el miedo a "ser una cabra" y así escoger su libertad y cortar su cinta? ¿A donde fueron?

Y llovió...

Comentarios finales: En mi humilde opinión, la película tiene alma. Puede ser muy plana y lenta, ya que sus escenas se prolongan, los planos se repiten constantemente y los paisajes se pierden "sin sentido"; pero me parece tan bien hecha que realmente la pude disfrutar y no se me hizo pesada.

Punuación:

[lavotha]

Closing of the 76th Cannes Film Festival - Awards

And the winners are… After 11 days of an exceptional edition, the Jury of the 76th Festival de Cannes, chaired by Swedish director Ruben Östlund, surrounded by Moroccan director Maryam Touzani, French actor Denis Ménochet, British-Zambian screenwriter & director Rungano Nyoni, American actress & director Brie Larson, American actor & director Paul Dano, Afghan author Atiq Rahimi, Argentinian…

[wakemewitch]

She Will, Charlotte Colbert (2021) Daughters of the Dust, Julie Dash (1991) The Piano, Jane Campion (1993) The Virgin Suicides, Sofia Coppola (1999) The Secret Garden, Agnieszka Holland (1993) Angela, Rebecca Miller (1995) The Juniper Tree, Nietzchka Keene (1990) I Am Not A Witch, Rungano Nyoni (2017) Poison Ivy, Katt Shea (1992) Sister My Sister, Nancy Meckler (1994)

More!

[pynkhues]

24, 45, 49, and 50 for the movie ask?

Thank you!

24. A film you wish you'd seen on the big screen

I watched Rungano Nyoni's I am Not a Witch recently, and oh man, I loved it. It tells the story of a young Zambian girl who's accused of witchcraft and sent to live in a camp filled with elderly witches. It's part black comedy, part harrowing thriller, part magical realism and part coming of age story, and it's so, so good. The visuals in it are just incredible, and I feel would've been amazing to see in the cinema.

45. A film that always makes you cry

Looking for Alibrandi has been successfully making me bawl since highschool, haha.

49. A book you want to see adapted to the big screen

Ooo, there's a few, but the one that sprung to mind is Evie Wyld's The Bass Rock. Structurally, it's pretty similar to The Hours although it leans more towards the violence inherent in womanhood and twists that up with some pretty interesting gothic themes. It's very atmospheric too, which I think would translate well to cinema's visual language.

I am always here for the resurrection of gothic cinema though, haha.

50. A book you really, really don't want to see made into a film.

Mmm, the book that immediately springs to mind is Ruth Ozeki's A Tale for the Time Being. I loved the book, but I think it would be really hard to adapt in a way that didn't feel exploitative or fetishistic given one of the storylines is, well, about exploitation and fetishism and the damage it does to teenage girl's identities. Still - highly recommend the book!

Ask me about movies!

[thirdrowcentre]

It's that time again. A few years ago I decided I would try and watch two films I'd never seen before each week. This year I've watched 374.

These are some of the ones that stood out.

JANUARY

The Leopard (dir. Luchino Visconti, 1963). Watched 1.1.23 at BFI Southbank

Benediction (dir. Terence Davies, 2021). Watched 11.1.23

Gangubai Kathiawadi (dir. Sanjay Leela Bhansali, 2022). Watched 17.1.23

The Swimmer (dir. Frank Perry, 1968). Watched 30.1.23.

Comizi d’amore (dir. Pier Paolo Pasolini, 1964). Watched 31.1.23

FEBRUARY

Ugetsu Monogatari (dir. Kenji Mizoguchi, 1953). Watched 7.2.23

Wings (dir. Larisa Shepitko, 1966). Watched 22.2.23

Mirror (dir. Andrei Tarkovsky, 1975). Watched 24.2.23

MARCH

Born in Flames (dir. Lizzie Borden, 1983). Watched 2.3.23

Yi Yi (dir. Edward Yang, 2000). Watched 5.3.23

Taste of Cherry (dir. Abbas Kiarostami, 1997). Watched 6.3.23

Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles. (dir. Chantal Akerman, 1975). Watched 11.2.23 at BFI Southbank

Judex (dir. Georges Franju, 1963). Watched 12.3.23

Transit (dir. Christian Petzold, 2018). Watched 14.3.23

A Man Escaped (dir. Robert Bresson, 1956). Watched 19.3.23

Bellissima (dir. Luchino Visconti, 1951). Watched 31.3.23

APRIL

Army of Shadows (dir. Jean-Pierre Melville, 1969). Watched 2.4.23

Jacquot de Nantes (dir. Agnès Varda, 1991). Watched 10.4.23

Where is the friend’s house? (dir. Abbas Kiarostami, 1987). Watched 13.4.23

John Wick: Chapter 4 (dir. Chad Stahelski, 2023). Watched 16.4.23 at BFI IMAX

Charulata (dir. Satyajit Ray, 1964). Watched 27.4.23

Night and Fog (dir. Alain Resnais, 1956). Watched 28.4.23

MAY

Thirst (dir. Park Chan-wook, 2009). Watched 3.5.23

Return to Seoul (dir. Davy Chou, 2023). Watched 7.5.23 at Curzon Hoxton

The Eight Mountains (dir. Felix van Groeningen, Charlotte Vandermeersch, 2023) Watched 12.5.23 at Curzon Hoxton

The Five Devils (dir. Léa Mysius, 2022). Watched 24.5.23

Nostalgia for the Light (dir. Patricio Guzmán, 2010). Watched 31.5.23

JUNE

Citadel (dir. John Smith, 2021). Watched 1.6.23

It’s Always Fair Weather (dir. Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly, 1955). Watched 10.6.23 at BFI Southbank 35mm.

Service for Ladies (dir. Alexander Korda, 1932). Watched 11.6.23 at BFI Southbank 35mm *nitrate*

And Life Goes On (dir. Abbas Kiarostami, 1992). Watched 14.6.23

Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy (dir. Pamela Green, 2018). Watched 19.6.23

King and Country (dir. Joseph Losey, 1964). Watched 20.6.23

JULY

London (dir. Patrick Keiller, 1994). Watched 3.7.23

Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (dir. J. Lee Thompson, 1972). Watched 14.7.23

Barbie (dir. Greta Gerwig, 2023). Watched 21.7.23 at BFI Southbank

Oppenheimer (dir. Christopher Nolan, 2023). Watched 23.7.23 at BFI IMAX. 70mm IMAX

I’m Not There (dir. Todd Haynes, 2007). Watched 28.7.23

AUGUST

Three Blind Mice (dir. William A. Seiter, 1938). Watched 17.8.23

Corridor of Mirrors (dir. Terence Young, 1948). Watched 22.8.23

World of Apu (dir. Satyajit Ray, 1959). Watched 26.8.23

L’argent (dir. Robert Bresson, 1983). Watched 31.8.23

SEPTEMBER

Past Lives (dir. Celine Song, 2023). Watched 3.9.23 at Curzon Soho.

Austenland (dir. Jerusha Hess, 2013). Watched 8.9.23

Lady Vengeance (dir. Park Chan-wook, 2005). Watched 19.9.23

News from Home (dir. Chantal Akerman, 1977). Watched 20.9.23

Edge of Tomorrow (dir. Doug Liman, 2014). Watched 28.9.23

OCTOBER

Killers of the Flower Moon (dir. Martin Scorsese, 2023). Watched 8.1.23 at Royal Festival Hall. London Film Festival

Judgement at Nuremberg (dir. Stanley Kramer, 1961). Watched 12.10.23

The Stranger and the Fog (dir. Bahram Beyzai, 1974). Watched 14.10.23 at BFI Southbank. London Film Festival. 35mm

I am Not a Witch (dir. Rungano Nyoni, 2017). Watched 26.10.23

Contraband (dir. Michael Powell, 1940). Watched 30.10.23 at BFI Southbank

NOVEMBER

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (dir. Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2010). Watched 9.11.23.

Anatomy of a Fall (dir. Justine Triet, 2023). Watched 15.11.23 at Curzon Hoxton

Citizens Band (dir. Jonathan Demme, 1977). Watched 21.11.23

DECEMBER

Oh, Rosalinda!! (dir. Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger, 1955). Watched 2.12.23 at BFI Southbank. 35mm

How to Have Sex (dir. Molly Manning Walker, 2023). Watched 10.12.23 at the Garden cinema.

Tish (dir. Paul Sng, 2023). Watched 22.12.23

Fallen Angels (dir. Wong Kar-wai, 1996). Watched 29.12.23

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Other highlights included: Stop Making Sense (twice!) on BFI IMAX. Tears of joy, dancing in my seat. Black Narcissus on nitrate at the BFI Southbank. Crying all the way through The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp at BFI Southbank. Showing someone L’Atalante and I Know Where I’m Going, two of my favourite films, in my favourite cinema (again, BFI Southbank). The terrible Fast X, in Vue Leicester Square with one of my best friends. Walking through Shoreditch on a Saturday night, maybe the most heterosexual place imaginable, to watch Bottoms at Curzon Aldgate. Talking and crying about Jonathan Demme at a house party with a stranger. Sitting and sobbing, breathless, after How to Have Sex - steeling myself and walking home thinking about my life, the lives of all the young women I know. Watching Aftersun for the second time at the beginning of the year with my youngest sister, floods of tears overtaking us both. Seven Samurai on the BFI IMAX with my best friends. The Hunger on 35mm at the Prince Charles Cinema, with more of my best friends. And screening Some Like it Hot on 16mm in the tiny theatre at the back of Ümit and Son in Clapton, surrounded by loving, beautiful people who make me who I am.

[oldfilmsflicker]

ANATOMY OF A FALL won the Palme d'Or, making director Justine Triet just the third woman to direct a film that has taken the top prize (the other two are Jane Campion for THE PIANO and Julia Ducournau for TITANE) 

[comicbuzzofficial]

On Becoming a Guinea Fowl Review