Nyoni, pointing out at TIFF that her first name means "fairy tale", has crafted a heart-rending fable that embodies the perplexing contradictions of Zambia - a matriarchal society that allows the label of witchcraft to arbitrarily enslave women while venerating male witch doctors. Freedom may only be a ribbon cut away, but the shackles of outdated ideas keep young Shula trapped between two non-choices. Unforgettable.
(Cannes 2017) An 8 year old girl on Zambia is accused of being a witch and sent to 'witch camp'. An irresistible mix of original story, stunning visuals, broad comedy moments and magic realism - I expect big things from this.
