Urucu Media

Eastern Cape, South Africa. A lonely factory worker, Xolani, takes time off his job to assist during an annual Xhosa circumcision initiation into manhood. In a remote mountain camp that is off limits to women, young men, painted in white ochre, recuperate as they learn the masculine codes of their culture. In this environment of machismo and aggression, Xolani cares for a defiant initiate from Johannesburg, Kwanda, who quickly learns Xolani's best kept secret, that he is in love with another man.

Amongst the mountains of Lesotho, an 80-year-old widow winds up her affairs and makes arrangements for her burial. But when her village is threatened with resettlement due to the construction of a reservoir, she finds a new will to live and ignites a spirit of resistance within her community.

In 1989, Mozambique is a country ruined by civil war. The train that connects Nampula to Malawi is the only hope for people willing to risk their lives to exchange a few bags of salt for sugar. Running slowly over sabotaged tracks, the journey is filled with obstacles and violence. Mariamu, a frequent traveler, shares her trip with her friend Rosa, a nurse who is going to her new hospital, living the reality of war for the first time, Lieutenant Taiar, who only knows the reality of his military life, and another soldier, Salomão, with whom he doesn’t get along. Amongst bullets and laughter, stories of love and war unfold as the train advances towards the next stop.

Part travelogue, part urban allegory – and a fresh perspective on Jozi. Filmmakers Lalloo and Walsh, drawing on a rich tradition of city- centred direct cinema practitioners, bring together a team of women directors, and offer a curious record of life in urban Jozi that de-mystifies the oft-maligned metropolis. Shot over the course of a single day and along the length and breadth of Jeppe, we meet 5 charming characters. Familial love is behind Congolese restaurateur Arouna’s success, nostalgia binds Ravi to his dusty framing shop that has been in his family for over 3 decades, ambition drives JJ’s ruthless property development, tradition is at the heart of acapella singer Robert’s all male Zulu choir, and everyday philosophy gives urban recycler Vusi his momentum. In one day these characters reveal the city’s textures and breathe life into the decayed inner city neighborhood.