Auckland International Film Club

Rating: R16 – Festival Film – Not Rated.

May is "Africa Month" in Auckland, and this weekend we are diving right into some of the best films from the African continent.

Senegal is a small country in West Africa - and this film is a remarkable film with perceptive insights into a country that we virtually never hear anything about. Xalé won the Africa Movie Award for Best Film in 2023, so you can expect something special.

The word Xalé means child. The film follows the path of twin brother and sister, Adama and Awa, two Senegalese children who rapidly find themselves facing a very adult world. Awa is a young man with a dream, to get together the money to board a boat to Europe and a better life, while Adama is a typical young teen girl, balancing school, a part time hairdressing job and her first boyfriend.” (Adelaide film Festival)

Variety magazine wrote: “Xalé’s” right-on messaging and vibrant delivery — with a color palette led by the saturated textiles of traditional boubou dress — is likely to enchant many a curious arthouse patron who stumbles upon it".

One of the topics for our discussion afterwards will be the ways that stories are told. Watch for the highly innovative Afro-Greek chorus, reflecting back on ancient Greek traditions of story telling. Amazing!

Rating: PG – Parental guidance recommended for younger viewers; contains mild violence, adult themes & coarse language.

As their big day arrives, a couple's lavish wedding plans turn into a nightmare that includes exes, fighting parents, uninvited guests and an unhinged best man full of secrets. What hilarious chaos ....

But this film is just plain good fun! Nigerians loved it - it became the highest grossing Nigerian film within 2 weeks of its release. Here is a chance to watch Nigerians having a ball!

We also get an insight into weddings in Nigeria, which are really something else. Two people from different ethnic groups in Nigeria decide to get married. The ethnic groups represented, The Yoruba and the Igbo, are two of the largest ethnic groups within Nigeria’s borders and historically, have not been the best of neighbours. The mothers-law (so often the case no matter where you are) compete and bring out all the inter-tribal differences.

And for those into fashion, especially wedding dresses and wedding related fashion, this is your film. Mai Atafo, a celebrated bridal designer, was behind the amazing looks of the entire wedding party. The bride's wedding outfit iss a work of art and look out for Maid of Honor Yemisi's amazing and stunning in her fuchsia pink gown.

The perfect film for a dreary winter Auckland morning.

Rating: R16 – Restricted to persons 16 years and over; contains violence, adult themes & coarse language.

Hosted by Trevor!

This film by Ouedraogo feels like I'm watching a Western stripped down to its bare essentials: the protagonist and their relationship to the land they inhabit in the moment. We follow Samba, who has returned unannounced to his home village, bringing with him a suitcase full of money. Despite his protests that he earned this money in the city, the villagers have their doubts. In actuality, he held up a gas station and unintentionally killed its attendant, and is now in hiding. Meanwhile, he tries to move on from this crime as he marries a woman and bears a child with her. Despite this, the pressure of capture forces him to consider leaving both his wife and child as well, and it is this 'Crime and Punishment' struggle with guilt and morality that imbues every interaction Samba has with the rest of the villagers with suspense. But similar to Howard Hawk's Rio Bravo (1959), there is such a strong palpable unhurriedness and calm that is evoked by the villagers and their harmonious relationship with nature, that Samba so desperately tries to grasp but often can't. Deliverance is upon him, but that does not mean one is unable to luxuriate amidst the wind blowing through the trees, or the pristine flowing of a river. A taut African thriller if there ever was one.