R&A Shorts: African Express – Short Station

Curated in collaboration with Think Africa and Ubuntu Film Club, this screening presents a collection of recent films linked in some way to various African countries. The films explore themes such as family relationships, community, and cultural differences.

Antigone, or the Story of Sara Benoliel is a modern adaptation of the ancient Greek tragedy. Set during the pandemic, Sara, who lives in Portugal, has lost her brother to COVID-19. She wishes to bury her brother in accordance with Cape Verdean traditions.

Norwegian Mona desperately wants to impress her Ghanaian boyfriend’s family, whom she is meeting for the first time at a dinner party. The evening is full of surprises, and the comedy African Family Dinner accelerates the viewer’s sense of discomfort and secondhand embarrassment.

A reluctant young boy is lowered deep into a gold mine. He is believed to bring luck due to his exceptional skin. L’Enfant à la peau blanche, a tense and thrilling film, captivates with its stunning cinematography and lighting.

The Earth Has Ears is the latest work by Finnish-Somali filmmaker Khadar Ayderus Ahmed. His debut feature Gravedigger’s Wife (R&A 2021), which premiered at Cannes, is now followed by this short film set in a remote Somali village, abandoned by its men for tribal warfare, where a female gravedigger seizes the death of the men not as a misfortune but as a golden opportunity to profit. However, her growing greed begins to unravel the lives of those around her.

Sabura is the love story of Cadija and Tony who have left Guinea-Bissau for Lisbon with hope in their hearts, but life is not easy on them. As they share an apartment with other immigrants, various questions about distance and closeness arise.

Annu Suvanto