Portal:African cinema/Selected anniversaries/3

Heart of the Hunter a South African thriller based on the novel by the same name by South African writer Deon Meyer premiered on 29th March on Netflix. Within its first week it took the #1 spot in Netflix’s global ranking. Directed by Mandlakayise Dube of Silverton Siege and starring Bonko Khoza, Connie Furgeson, and Masasa Mbangeni the film is set in post democratic South Africa and follows one man’s mission to thwart a corrupt politician’s bid for the presidential seat.

April 18 is Zimbabwe’s National Independence Day. Check out Neria 21 (2024), a film directed by Trust Sayi and recently released in its entirety on YouTube. The drama is a remake of the classic Zimbabwean film Neria (1994) based on the eponymous novel by Tsitsi Dangarembga and directed by Godwin Mawuru. It became the highest-grossing film in Zimbabwean history.

The Festival Films Femmes d’Afrique takes place April 26-May 4 in Dakar and in various regions of Senegal from May 5-10. Established in 2013, the festival celebrates films that document the stories of African women. Films in competition this year include Banal et Adama by Ramata Toulaye Sy, Twenty Years Later by Moussa Touré, and Big Little Women, a documentary by Nadia Fares.

The Nollywood Centre at the Pan-Atlantic University’s School of Media and Communications Studies is hosting a “Film Financing in the Nigerian Film Industry: Opportunities, Challenges and Prospects” on April 20 in Lagos. Attendance is free but registration is required.