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Nigerian modern fable film, ‘Mami Wata’, produced by C.J Obasi, has received the Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Award for cinematography.
True to its focus on excellence, Sundance Film Festival, an annual independent film festival held in Park City, Utah, selected powerful dramas and inspiring documentaries that not only entertain but also have deep influences on audiences.
Among them is C.J Obasi’s ‘Mami Wata’ – a term that refers to a water spirit in West African and diaspora folklore. With its black and white cinematography and its transitory plot that takes the audience to the folkloric and fictional waterside of Iyi, ‘Mami Wata’ becomes the first Nigerian film to make the World Cinematic Dramatic Competition at the festival.
The plot explores the breakdown of tranquillity in the village of Iyi by external forces. Two sisters, Zinwe (Uzoamaka Aniunoh) and Prisca (Evelyne Ily Juhen) must fight to save their community and restore the glory of the formerly respected Mama Efe (Rita Edochie), an intermediary who can communicate with people and the water deity, as well as that of the mermaid goddess Mami Wata.
The Nigerian modern fable adds to the growing list of Nollywood films taking giant strides in storytelling, aesthetics, and cinematography. Battle on Buka Street, Far From Home, Showmax’s Crime and Justice Lagos and Shanty Town, among others, have all debuted to rave reviews. Mami Wata’s pleasing aesthetic is attributed to cinematographer Lilis Soares who did an amazing job creating a fictional yet truly folkloric experience.
“When it comes to the discussion of world cinema, there’s only a certain understanding of what African cinema is. I’ve just not been fine with that. We have way more to offer: stylistically, aesthetically, and narratively. We can really do stuff that nobody sees coming. This is just the beginning”, Obasi told Variety.
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Source: TheNet
