África (film)

África is a 1996 Spanish drama film directed by Alfonso Ungría which stars Zoe Berriatúa, Elena Anaya, Imanol Arias, and Julie Carmen.

Plot
Set in the working-class district of San Blas, the plot follows Martín (an admirer of runner Abebe Bikila) and his fraught and oedipical relation with his father Arturo, as well as his budding romantic relationship with África, a young girl the same age as him, who works in a bar with her mother Isabel.

Production
The screenplay was based on a story by Ungría and Joaquín Oristrell. The film is a Sogetel and Bocaboca Producciones production. It boasted a budget of around 160 million ₧. It was shot on location in San Blas.

Release
The film was theatrically released in Spain on 17 May 1996.

Reception
Augusto Martínez Torres of El País considered that Alfonso Ungría "not only manages to provide a solid dramatic structure to his story, but also proves to be a great actor's director".

In the view of Josep Torrell, as featured in his chronicle "El cine español de 1996", the film is "imperfect", "laconic and honest", featuring a "splendid photography by Hans Burmann".