By Mosa Matela
The European Film Festival in Lesotho that is currently underway in Maseru brings seven award-winning films that explore the theme of transition as a response to change.
The Alliance Française in the capital city is the official screening venue for the festival.
The event is supported by the respective Delegations of the European Union in South Africa, Eswatini and Lesotho, the Embassies of EU Member States and European Cultural Institutes.
The spring season will, once again, be a treat for filmmakers and film enthusiasts alike as the European Film Festival returns to Lesotho between October 26 and 29 October.
The festival has been operating for 10 years in South Africa, and since 2022 has included programmes in the Kingdoms of eSwatini and Lesotho.
The three-day festival promises an exciting line up of Academy nominated and Award winning films.
The diverse showcase of dramas, documentaries and comedies will give local audiences an opportunity to indulge in European and Euro-Africa content that is rarely seen in the region.
Several filmmakers expressed excitement at the return of the festival, further highlighting that it provides a much-needed opportunity for local filmmakers to gauge their work and learn from their counterparts in the European film circuit.
Last year, the festival in Maseru showcased a landmark film from Lesotho. The Mountain Kingdom’s first-ever submission for the Oscar for Best International Feature, “This Is Not A Burial, It’s A Resurrection” was screened on the opening night in the presence of some its protagonists.
The 2022 festival also included a Film Director’s Symposium hosted remotely by Serbian Academy award nominated director Stefan Arsenijević.
Seven films that explore the theme of transition and managing it will be screened during the Lesotho leg of the festival for 2023.
The film line-up includes Spanish entry for Best International Feature Film at the 94th Academy Awards, “The Good Boss” starring Javier Bardem as well as French-Mauritanian film “Timbuktu” directed by Abderrahmane Sissako, which won two awards at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival.
Both “Mikado”, a Romanian-Czech film and “Parents Versus Influencers” unpack the complicated relationship between fathers and their daughters.
Another film selected for this year is “Mama Africa”, a biography of Miriam Makeba that uses rare archival footage and features performances, interviews, and scenes from her life in exile to explore the different facets of her renowned musical journey.
“Rookies”, directed by Thierry Demaizière and Alban Teurlai, is an immersive exploration of the journey of Parisian high school students as they train to become professional dancers while also aiming to complete their A-levels.
