Past event
Sands 24: Mami Wata (12A)
Award-winning director C.J. ‘Fiery' Obasi, imagines a fictional African village, not yet affected by the Western norms shaping the lands around them, but instead reliant upon the water goddess, Mami Wata, for survival. When the authority of the Goddess' intermediary, Mama Efe, is challenged, and the village's synergy is threatened, it is up to two sisters to restore balance in their community.
This bold and innovative modern fable tells a powerful story of kinship, faith, and cultural persistence in the face of modernisation. Visually stunning and morally stimulating, the film challenges perceptions of progress and community hierarchies, as well as ideas of male and female power dynamics. Lílis Soares' remarkable black-and-white cinematography won Mami Wata a Special Jury Award at Sundance 2023, and the film represented Nigeria in the 2024 Oscar race.
Dir: Dir: C. J. Obasi | 2023 | Nigeria/France/UK | 12A | 1h 47m
Shown in English and West African Pidgin with English subtitles
Contains: moderate threat, violence, sexual threat, injury detail, language, sex