BLACK LENS: I AM NOT A WITCH (Cert 12)

7pm, Thursday 3rd August 2023

Rungano Nyoni's groundbreaking first feature, ‘I Am Not a Witch’.

Zambian-born Welsh director Rungano Nyoni is set to premiere her second feature film, ‘On Becoming A Guinea Fowl,’ later this year. So it feels right that we revisit her groundbreaking first feature, ‘I Am Not a Witch’.

Sharply satirical and boldly provocative, the film garnered incredible praise from audiences and critics alike at the Cannes Film Festival in 2017.

When eight-year-old Shula turns up alone and unannounced in a rural Zambian village, the locals are suspicious. A minor incident escalates to a full-blown witch trial, where she is found guilty and sentenced to life on a state-run witch camp. There, she is tethered to a long white ribbon and told that if she ever tries to run away, she will be transformed into a goat.

As the days pass, Shula begins to settle into her new community, but a threat looms on the horizon. Soon she is forced to make a difficult decision – whether to resign herself to life on the camp, or take a risk for freedom.

At times moving, often funny and occasionally surreal, I Am Not a Witch offers spellbinding storytelling with flashes of anarchic humour. Audacious and unforgettable, it showcases Rungano Nyoni as a fresh and fearless new voice in British film.

I AM NOT A WITCH trailer (viewer discretion advised – suitable for 15+ years old only)

Following the screening, we invite you to stay a while to explore and engage in an open and candid conversation, curated by our film programmer, Ephraim Webber.