When her village is threatened with forced resettlement, an 80-year-old widow fights and ignites the spirit of resilience within her community.
A widow in Lesotho rediscovers her lust for life when her village is threatened by the construction of a reservoir.
In a small village nestled amongst the pythonic mountains of land-locked Lesotho, an 80 year old widow awaits the return of her only surviving family member. Her son; a migrant worker labouring in a South African coal mine. It is Christmas and he is due home. Sombre messengers deliver the news: Her son has died in a mining accident. Distraught by the sudden news of his untimely death, Mantoa struggles to find meaning in her existence. An invisible wall of bewilderment arises and stands between Mantoa and the outside world. God, the village, and reality too appear further and further away. Consumed by grief, her yearning for death and reuniting with her family steadily grows. She yearns to be laid to rest in the local cemetery with her loved ones. Mantoa winds up her early affairs and makes arrangements for her own burial. Her plans are punctuated when she learns that the village is to be forcibly resettled due to the construction of a dam reservoir. The land will be flooded and the cemetery desecrated. Mantoa's resolve is unwavering; igniting a collective spirit of defiance within the community. In the final dramatic moments of her life, Mantoa's legend is forged and made eternal.
starring Mary Twala Mhlongo, Jerry Mofokeng Wa Makhetha, Makhaola Ndebele, Tseko Monaheng, Siphiwe Nzima
a film by Lemohang Jeremiah MOSESE
Lesotho / South Africa / Italy, 2020, Drama, 2h00m, DCP, Original Version: Sesotho with subs
3rd feature
Language: Sesotho Original Title: This Is Not A Burial, It's A ResurrectionThis Is Not A Burial, It's A Resurrection Lithuania Title: Tai ne laidojimas, tai prisikelimas Taiwan Title: 這不是一場葬禮 RUN TIME: 119 min LANGUAGE: Sesotho (Sotho, Southern) SUBTITLES: Yes with English subtitles COUNTRY: Lesotho/South Africa/Italy YEAR: 2020
Director's Statement I still know every texture of my grandmother's house; its walls, its thatched roof, the smell of oak trees after rain. Soon it will be no more. Soon it will be razed and flooded and water will be channeled into the heart of South Africa. Communities are being erased en masse in the name of progress. Forgotten in a soulless march towards futurity. I am not for or against progress. I am more interested in questioning the psychological, spiritual and social elements that come with it. New and old. Birth and death. An ecclesiastical reverence to the earth. Through Mantoa's eyes, we see that there is a lot of darkness to face, but ultimately this is a story about the resilience of the human spirit.
NOTE BY TTHE PROGRAMER (2020 Sundance FilmFest) In the mountains of Lesotho, an 80-year-old widow named Mantoa eagerly awaits her son's return from working in the South African mines, only to learn of his demise instead. Yearning for her own death after the loss of her last remaining family member, she puts her affairs in order and makes arrangements to be buried in the local cemetery. Her careful plans are abruptly upset by the news that provincial officials intend to resettle the village, flood the entire area, and build a dam for a reservoir. Mantoa resolves herself to defend the spiritual heritage of the community.
Writer/director Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese crafts a vivid and ethereal meditation on life, death, and the power of the human spirit. Veteran actress Mary Twala Mhlongo commands the screen, beautifully portraying a woman fighting her last and most important battle. This Is Not A Burial, It's A Resurrection creates an ode to a way of life perhaps soon to disappear in the name of progress and guides us through a world where the dead co-exist with the living. www.sundance.org/projects/this-is-not-a-burial-it-s-a-resurrection
NOTE BY TTHE PROGRAMER (2020 IFFR, Rotterdam) In her village in Lesotho, widow Mantoa (80) is preparing for the end by arranging her own funeral and bidding farewell to worldly affairs. Suddenly, it is announced that her close-knit community will have to make way for the construction of a reservoir. Everyone will have to move to the cities, leaving their homes, fields, cemetery, lives and traditions behind. While most are overwhelmed by this bizarre news, it rekindles Mantoa's lust for life. She has no intention of giving up everything in the name of ‘progress'. For this melancholy modern fairy tale, filmmaker and visual artist Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese adapted the story of his own grandmother and of many inhabitants of rural parts of Lesotho facing the same problems. Many people are being forced to leave their homes in beautiful Lesotho. What does such abrupt uprooting do to the social relations, centuries-old traditions and spiritual identity of these people? https://iffr.com/en/2020/films/this-is-not-a-burial-it's-a-resurrection
CAST Mantoa (Grand-Mother Mantoa) | Mary Twala Mhlongo (aka Mary Twala) Lesiba Player | Jerry Mofokeng Wa Makhetha (aka Jerry Mofokeng) Priest | Makhaola Ndebele Chief | Tseko Monaheng Pono | Siphiwe Nzima-Ntskhe (aka Siphiwe Nzima) Lasrao | Thabiso Makoto Mokolobetsi | Thabo Letsie Morui | Silas Taunyane Monyatsi
PRODUCTION COMPANY : Urucu Media Cait Pansegrouw, Elias Ribeiro 5 Howe Street 7925 - Cape Town, South Africa PHONE: +27833950088 EMAIL: cp(@)urucumedia.com WEBSITE: www.urucumedia.com/
PRESS OFFICE: La Biennale di Venezia Ca' Giustinian - San Marco 1364/A 30124 - Venezia, Italy Tel. +39 041 2726 644 presscinema@labiennale.org
SALES Memento Films International
FESTIVALS (Showing / Premieres) Italy, 29 August 2019 (Venice Film Festival) USA, 24 January 2020 (Sundance Film Festival) Netherlands, 25 January 2020 (International Film Festival Rotterdam) Sweden, 31 January 2020 (Göteborg Film Festival.) USA, 10 March 2020 (Portland International Film Festival) Colombia, 12 March 2020 (Cartagena International Film Festival) Lithuania, 19 March 2020 (Spring Film Festival) Belgium, 21 April 2020 (internet) (MOOOV Film Festival) Spain, 1 May 2020 (D'A Film Festival) France, 17 June 2020 (internet) Taiwan, 27 June 2020 (Taipei Film Festival) South Africa, 10 September 2020 (internet) (Durban International Film Festival)
2020 | 41st Durban International Film Festival, Virtual Edition, South Africa | 10-20 sept 2020 * Official Selection (Opening Film) www.durbanfilmfest.com/film/this-is-not-a-burial-its-a-ressurection/
2020 | 49th IFFR - International Film Festival Rotterdam | Rotterdam, The Netherlands | 22 Jan. 2020 - 2 Feb. 2020 * Main Programme: Bright Future https://iffr.com/en/2020/films/this-is-not-a-burial-it's-a-resurrection
2020 | Sundance Film Festival, USA | 23.01 - 02.02 2020 * CATEGORY: World Cinema Dramatic Competition * Won: World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Visionary Filmmaking www.sundance.org/projects/this-is-not-a-burial-it-s-a-resurrection
2019 | 76th Venice International Film Festival, Italy | 28.08 - 7.09 2019 * Selection: 7th Biennale College Cinema (An advanced training workshop for the development and production of three micro-budget audio-visual works, open to teams of directors and producers from around the world) www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/2019/biennale-college-cinema/not-burial-it%E2%80%99s-resurrection
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IT
Nel Lesotho privo di affaccio sul mare, in un piccolo villaggio situato tra le montagne, una vedova ottantenne attende il ritorno del suo unico familiare vivente: suo figlio, un operaio immigrato che lavora in una miniera di carbone sudafricana. È Natale ed è atteso a casa. Alcuni funerei messaggeri le danno la notizia che il figlio è morto in un incidente in miniera. Sconvolta dall'improvvisa notizia di questa prematura scomparsa, Mantoa si sforza di trovare un senso alla propria esistenza. Un muro invisibile di smarrimento s'innalza e si frappone tra Mantoa e il mondo esterno. Dio, il villaggio e anche la realtà sembrano sempre più distanti. Consumata dal dolore, il suo desiderio di morire e ricongiungersi con la sua famiglia cresce costantemente. Vuole essere sepolta nel cimitero locale, insieme ai suoi cari. Mantoa sbriga in fretta i suoi affari e sistema le cose per la propria sepoltura. I suoi piani vengono interrotti quando apprende che il villaggio verrà mobilitato a forza e ricollocato a causa della costruzione di un bacino idrico. L'area verrà inondata e il cimitero profanato. La risolutezza di Mantoa è incrollabile e innesca nella comunità uno spirito collettivo di sfida. Nei drammatici momenti conclusivi della sua vita, la leggenda di Mantoa viene forgiata e resa eterna.
Commento del regista Ancora oggi conosco ogni aspetto della casa di mia nonna: le pareti, il tetto di paglia, l'odore delle querce dopo la pioggia. Presto tutto questo non ci sarà più. Presto la casa sarà abbattuta e inondata, e l'acqua verrà incanalata nel cuore del Sudafrica. Intere comunità verranno cancellate in nome del progresso. Dimenticate in una marcia senz'anima verso il futuro. Non sono a favore o contro il progresso. Sono più interessato a mettere in discussione gli aspetti psicologici, spirituali e sociali che lo accompagnano. Vecchio e nuovo. Nascita e morte. Una reverenza ecclesiastica verso la terra. Attraverso gli occhi di Mantoa, vediamo che c'è una grande oscurità da affrontare, ma alla fine questa è una storia sulla capacità di resistenza e recupero dello spirito umano.
Produzione: Cait Pansegrouw, Elias Ribeiro (Urucu Media)
Regia: Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese
Fotografia: Pierre De Villiers
Montaggio: Lemogang Jeremiah Mosese
Scenografia: Leila Walter
Costumi: Nao Serati
Musica: Yu Miyashita
Interpreti: Mantoa | Mary Twala Mlongo Suonatore di Lesiba | Jerry Mofokeng Wa Makhetha Sacerdote | Makhaola Ndebele Capo | Tseko Monaheng Pono | Siphiwe Nzima
PRODUZIONE : Urucu Media (Cait Pansegrouw, Elias Ribeiro) 5 Howe Street 7925 - Cape Town, South Africa Tel. 27833950088 cp@urucumedia.com http://www.urucumedia.com
2020 | Durban International Film Festival, South Africa | 10-20 sept 2020 * Selection Officielle www.durbanfilmfest.com/film/this-is-not-a-burial-its-a-ressurection/
2020 | Sundance Film Festival, USA | 23.01 - 02.02 2020 * Premio: World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Visionary Filmmaking www.sundance.org/projects/this-is-not-a-burial-it-s-a-resurrection
2019 | La Biennale di Venezia | 28.08 - 7.09 2019 * Biennale College Cinema (Laboratorio di alta formazione, ricerca e sperimentazione, per lo sviluppo e la produzione di tre lungometraggi a micro-budget, aperto a team di registi e produttori di tutto il mondo). www.labiennale.org/it/cinema/2019/biennale-college-cinema/not-burial-it%E2%80%99s-resurrection
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NL
Weduwe Mantoa (80) bereidt zich in haar dorp in Lesotho voor op haar einde door alvast haar uitvaart te regelen en afscheid te nemen van wereldse zaken. Net op dat moment wordt bekendgemaakt dat haar hechte gemeenschap moet wijken voor de aanleg van een waterreservoir. Alle dorpelingen moeten verkassen naar stedelijke gebieden, om hun huizen, akkers, begraafplaats, levens en tradities voorgoed achter te laten. Terwijl de meesten vooral overdonderd zijn door het bizarre nieuws, ontlokt het bij Mantoa juist een hernieuwde levenslust. Ze is geenszins van plan om te wijken voor de zogenaamde vooruitgang.
Filmmaker en beeldend kunstenaar Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese verwerkte in dit melancholische moderne sprookje het verhaal van zijn eigen grootmoeder en vele medebewoners van landelijke gebieden in Lesotho die met eenzelfde problematiek te maken krijgen. In het prachtige Lesotho moeten velen gedwongen hun thuishavens verlaten. Wat doet die grove ontworteling met de sociale verhoudingen, eeuwenoude tradities en ieders spirituele identiteit?
Productieland(en) Lesotho, Italië
Productiejaar 2020
Medium/Formaat DCP
Lengte 120'
Taal Sesotho
Producent Cait Pansegrouw, Elias Ribeiro
Filmmaker Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese
Scenario Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese
Camera Pierre de Villiers
Editor Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese
Production Design Leila Walter
Sound Design Pressure Cooker Studios
Muziek Yu Miyashita
CAST Mantoa | Mary Twala Mlongo Lesiba-speler | Jerry Mofokeng Wa Makhetha Priester | Makhaola Ndebele Opperhoofd | Tseko Monaheng Pono | Siphiwe Nzima
Productiebedrijf Urucu Media
Sales Memento Films International
Festival Agency Festival Agency https://thefilmagency.eu/work/this-is-not-a-burial-its-a-resurrection/
Distribution (France): Arizona Films www.arizonafilms.fr/films/lindomptable-feu-du-printemps/
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