At the festival, which runs until February 8th, film lovers will be able to appreciate the talents of Mozambican cinema.
“O Profeta” and “Submergido,” films by Mozambican filmmakers Ique Langa and Ariel Añez, respectively, are set to premiere worldwide in the Tiger Competition at the 55th International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
At the festival, which runs until February 8th, film lovers will appreciate the talents of Mozambican cinema through both films. “The Prophet,” to be released this Thursday, is a 94-minute film co-produced between Mozambique, South Africa, and Qatar. It explores the crisis of faith of Pastor Hélder, who, after losing his belief, resorts to traditional witchcraft in a desperate attempt to recover it, entering a spiral of sacrifice and unexpected consequences.
Kind and deeply loved by the people of his parish in Mandlakaze, the religious man wonders where his faith has gone and how he can recover it. His quest leads him to an unexpected realm: traditional witchcraft.
Presented in luminous black and white, the feature film, which received Final Cut support at the 81st Venice International Film Festival in 2024, will also be screened tomorrow, Sunday, and Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the short film “Submergido” by Ariel Añez, premiering this Sunday, is based on the reality of life in Cabo Delgado, a province plagued by terrorism since 2017. According to the synopsis, when Amarildo disappears in combat in the war in Cabo Delgado, rumors of his desertion destroy his family.
So, while his brother, Sergio, travels home to deliver the tragic news, he discovers a curious fact: his young nephew, Percio, shares a mysterious and profound connection with his missing father.
“Exquisitely filmed, ‘Submergido’, by Ariel Añez, explores the intersection between personal and collective trauma, following a family affected by war,” writes IFFR.
(By MozaVibe)
