Mozambique

Mozambique is in the midst of civil war. A single train connects Nampula to Malawi. No civilians are allowed and yet hundreds risk their lives through 700km of sabotaged tracks. Salomão and Taiar are two soldiers who don’t get along. Rosa is a young nurse on her way to her first job, who soon becomes an object of desire. Mariamu, her close friend, only hopes to trade salt for sugar. Amongst bullets and laughter, life goes on and stories unfold as the train advances under attack, ever so slowly, towards the next stop. More

1975, Mozambique’s rebirth. The young revolution sweeps the streets of Maputo from prostitutes and bad habits. Sent to re-education camps deep in the countryside, they will become “new women”. Margarida, a sixteen year-old girl from the countryside, was mistakenly taken. This is their story. Women bounded by adversity. More

A small island, a great history. Long before giving its name to the country, the Mozambique island had a fundamental role in the Indian Ocean during centuries. Anchor point for caravels, meeting point for pirates, it is a melting pot of races. It raises its walls in the middle of the sea. Its winding streets full of life reveal small palaces, churches and white houses. Its inhabitants are eccentric characters, proud of the island's past history. As we wander through the streets we meet an historian, a maritime archeologist, a fisherman, the "doorman" of the island, a dancer, many spirits... More

Mozambique, Civil War. Muidinga, a boy with big eyes, finds a diary beside a corpse and begins reading it. It is the story of Farida who lives in an old ship anchored out in the sea and waits for her son. He convinces himself that he is the boy in the diary and decides to search for her. He sets off with Tuahir, a tough old storyteller who develops a growing affection to Muidinga. He even becomes jealous that the boy might soon find his family. The film slowly leaves behind the harsh reality of the war and enters into the fantastic. Dreams become reality and the sea invades the dusty road. More

In the colonial era, the Grand Hotel in the city of Beira was the largest in Mozambique: 350 rooms, luxurious suites, Olympic-sized swimming pool… Nowadays the building is in ruins, with no electricity or running water, and is inhabited by 3500 people. Some have been living there for twenty years. The rooms, foyers, corridors, service areas, even the fridges and bathrooms of the hotel serve as home. But there’s no trace of sadness or self-pity in this luminous documentary. More

Two boys with different experiences and goals meet up in a sprawling African market. One is looking for a job to get back what was stolen from him and return home; the other will do anything to avoid having to go back with his family. They become friends and together they reinvent the world. More

Some fought on opposite sides in the war which ravaged Mozambique. Others were civilians, and for them, the demining work is an alternative to unemployment or a life of crime. Living all together in tents, they stay for long periods far from their families. Every day they risk their lives together. They are indeed a very special group of men. More

Young Mozambican musicians who play Jazz, Funky and Hip Hop join a group of elders who play Marrabenta, a musical style typical of Mozambique in the 1950's and 60's. This unexpected combination of different types of music works extraordinarily well, as we will see during their South African tour. This trip evokes the origins of each of the musicians. They survive playing and singing their sorrows and happy memories. A Mozambican "Buena Vista Social Club". More

The imaginary world of a unique and refreshing artist from Mozambique who expresses herself with clay, a traditional African material.Reinata Sadimba was born in 1945. Her age hasn’t erased her lively sparkle, as if she were still a cheerful little girl. The sculptures tell all sorts of stories drawn from real life and her country’s folkloric tradition. It is also her way of exorcising ghosts and demons. Exhibitions in the USA, Japan and Germany have earned her worldwide fame. She is an eccentric character who loves to dance in men's clothes. More

Rosa, a Mozambican peasant, is accused by the family of her husband of having caused his suicide by refusing to obey him. She is suspected of having a "spirit-husband". In order to prove her innocence, Rosa submits herself to two trials: one by a traditional healer, the other in court. She is absolved twice. Nevertheless, the dead man relatives continue to persecute her and she is punished in a cruel way. More

In the rainy season the rivers rise and Chimanimani, one of the most beautiful regions in Mozambique, is cut off from the rest of the country. A natural reserve will be created. The main attraction is Mount Binga, the highest point in Mozambique. This reserve will benefit the local community. However, a bridge must be built. The entire village participates in the construction.This film is the story of the collective struggle to build this bridge.It is a celebration of human labour! More

More than 25 years after I left, I felt the urge of going back and walk along this road that I know by heart, the road of my childhood..."This road goes to Nacala, a coastal city in the north of Mozambique. A trip made by Brigitte, who brings with her the photos that her father took 40 years before. She is looking for memories, for school friends, for sceneries. She finds a new independent country and wonders if she can still fit in this moving world. More

Four stories cross in a Mozambican village. Stories about the importance of a water can, a well that gets broken, a lonely hunter, a bird that in his cage becomes a portable radio… And in all of them there’s dignity, pride and laughter. The documentary has three protagonists: the well, the women and the baobab. A magical film. More