Rungano Nyoni and her dark fairy tale set in Zambia received a lengthy standing ovation in Cannes. Denounced as a witch and defenseless against the charges, a nine-year-old orphan girl named Shula is sent to a camp for witches. Banished from the community, segregated women are forced to do hard labor, used for local entertainment, and treated as tourist attraction (thorugh a few satirical scenes, the director sketches out the image of the tourism of suffering that exploits violence and poverty. Every witch has a white ribbon attached to her back to keep her from flying away. In the film, this ribbon is the realism through which the magical, fairytale world never loses contact with reality. Ideal doses of the exotic and familiar, symbolism and real-life customs, and a hefty handful of poetry, a touch of humor, and the alluring little Maggie Mulubwa in the lead role conjure up a magic spell that continues to work long after leaving the cinema.
Rungano Nyoni is a director and screenwriter from Lusaka, Zambia, who lives and works in Wales. She studied acting in London, but soon decided she preferred the other side of the camera instead. Her short film Mwansa the Great was nominated for a BAFTA Award. Like her feature debut, I Am Not a Witch, it was also made in Zambia. As Nyoni says, being a foreigner in her own country allows her to gain a unique perspective as a director.
2009 The List (short)
2011 Mwansa. The Great (short)
2014 Kuuntele /Listen (short)
2014 Nie jestem czarownicą / I’m not a Witch