Two African feature films are included in this year’s Around the World in 14 Films festival. This year, the festival is showcasing five films supported by the World Cinema Fund, a Berlin Film Festival initiative. The films will be presented under Berlinale Spotlight, a project by the Berlin Film Festival outside of its usual festival timeframe.
The two African films are Legend of the Vagabond Queen of Lagos by The Agbajowo Collective, and The Village Next to Paradise by Mo Harawe. The first is coproduction involving Nigeria, the latter is a coproduction involving Somalia. Both films are set in the respective African countries.
“In a world that many people are increasingly evaluating in rigid black and white patterns instead of following complex global events with more empathy and a thirst for knowledge, genuine cultural diversity is existential. The World Cinema Fund supports the visibility of cultural diversity in cinema with a smart and passionate commitment to the lesser-known, often overlooked film regions,” said Around the World in 14 Films festival directors Susanne Bieger and Bernhard Karl.
The chosen African films
The Agbajowo Collective is a group comprised of mostly Nigerian filmmakers. Their film is inspired by the true story of the forced eviction of the Otodo Gbame community in Lagos. It stars Temiloluwa Ami-Williams, Debo Adedayo, and Kachi Okechukwu. It premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.
Since premiering at the Cannes Film Festival, Mo Harawe’s directorial debut The Village Next to Paradise has received several festival invitations and awards. Days ago, his film won the big award at the War On Screen festival.
It also picked the Best Actress award at the Sarajevo Film Festival and is eligible for an award at the European Film Awards. The film follows the life and struggles of a pair of siblings living in the harsh desert landscape of Somalia.
Non-African films
These African films will be screened alongside Pepe by Dominican Republic’s Nelson Carlos De Los Santos Arias, Việt and Nam by Vietnamese filmmaker Minh Quý Trương, and Boomerang by Iranian artist and filmmaker Shahab Fotouhi.
“WCF films aim to continuously expand their audience with their images, film languages and stories, because a variety of perspectives enriches our view of the world,” Vincenzo Bugno, head of the WCF.
The 19th edition of Around the World in 14 Films runs from November 29 to December 7, at Berlin’s KulturBrauerei cinema and other venues. A full programme of the event will be published on November 8.
