Here’s another curious title to add to your list of films by African filmmakers, made in Africa, to watch for in the next year; most recently, we highlighted the South African noir thriller How To Steal 2 Million, written and directed by Charles Vundla.
This one is titled Man On Ground, and is written and directed by Akin Omotoso (he’s from Nigeria). The film will make its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival next month in the Contemporary World Cinema category.
TIFF describes Man On Ground as follows:
A bold and exacting portrayal of rising xenophobia in South Africa, Omotoso casts the story of a young Nigerian man living in the African refugee tenements of Johannesburg who disappears against the background of animosity against immigrants flaring into violent rioting. In the span of a single night, his brother, on a short visit from London, tries to elucidate the mystery.
Hakeem Kae-Kazim and Fana Mokoena star. Both have acted in several stateside TV shows and movies, from Criminal Minds, Pirates of the Caribbean, 24 and others.
Glad to see more and more daring titles from black African filmmakers making international debuts, much like the splash that Viva Riva! made last year post its TIFF debut.
Check out the brooding trailer below: