Akasha (2018 film)
Akasha (stylized as aKasha) is a 2018 Sudanese comedy film written and directed by Hajooj Kuka. It tells the story of a love triangle between a South-Sudan soldier, his girlfriend, and an AK-47. It is Kuka's first narrative feature film, after directing several documentaries. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival on August 31, 2018.
| aKasha | |
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| Directed by | Hajooj Kuka |
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| Written by | Hajooj Kuka |
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| Music by |
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| Cinematography |
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| Edited by | Hajooj Kuka |
Production company |
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Release date |
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Running time | 78 min |
| Country |
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| Language | Arabic |
Plot
During the rainy season in the Nuba Mountains region, all sides of the South Sudanese Civil War have to halt fighting due to the excessive mud, but when the rains stop the war resumes. The film takes place on the day of akasha (lit. "the round-up"), when the rebel armed forces are gathering their troops to return to war. In the rebel-held area of the region, Adnan has been staying with his girlfriend Lina while on leave from the army for heroically shooting down a drone. He makes the mistake of professing his love of Nancy, the name for his AK-47, which he constantly cleans and decorates with beads and ribbons. Lina is jealous of this “other woman” and throws him out of the house with his pants only half on, but they agree to meet at their special tree at noon. He runs into Abdi, a pacifist trying to avoid conscription, who invites him to come to his secret hiding spot. Adnan still plans to return to the war, but he forgot his gun in Lina’s house, and if he returns without the gun he’ll face one year in prison. Abdi agrees to retrieve the gun for him. He tries sneaking into the house to get the gun, but accidentally turns on a loud boombox, which alerts the neighbors. They capture him and accuse him of theft, but he’s able to escape from them while they’re crouching during an air raid.
Next Abdi and Adnan try disguising themselves like women to get the gun and to avoid the soldiers. They pick out clothes, practice carrying water on their heads, and even borrow a baby to carry. It’s not a convincing disguise. Adnan is quickly identified by an ex-girlfriend, and to diffuse the situation, he promises to go to the wedding with her later that day.
Lina waits at the special tree, but Adnan never shows. She returns home just in time to find Adnan and Abdi snatching the gun, and accuses them of theft. A village elder holds an informal trial, and the gun is determined to be Lina’s property. Adnan can't return without his gun, so Abdi leads Adnan to his hiding spot, where a witch doctor prepares a hallucinogenic flower for them. Adnan trips particularly hard, and relives the moment when he shot down the drone. From their hiding place, Abdi spots a large group of enemy tanks approaching their village, and decides to warn the general.
Adnan shows up at the wedding, still high, looking for Lina and disrupting the festivities. He goes to the special tree, where his and Lina’s names are carved. He goes to Lina’s house, but is confronted by her and two other women he had been flirting with. He apologizes to Lina, admits that he actually has terrible aim and that the "heroic" drone shot had just been a really lucky accident. The three women have had enough of him, and they hand the gun back, with the name Nancy scratched out and replaced with their own names.
Abdi warns the general about the approaching enemy forces, winning the general’s favor. Adnan and Abdi climb into a truck and drive off to continue the fight.
Cast
- Kamal Ramadan as Adnan
- Ekram Marcus as Lina
- Mohamed Chakado as Absi
- Abdallah Alnur as Blues
Production
Kuka met two of the lead actors, Mohamed Chakado and Kamal Ramadan, while teaching drama at a local youth center, and decided to cast them in the film.[1]
Release
The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival on August 31, 2018, and also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. Two of the actors, Kamal Ramadan and Mohamed Chakado, were not able to attend either film festival because Uganda refused to allow their departure while awaiting their refugee status papers.[1] The film will also screen at the Africa in Motion festival in Edinburgh.[2]
Reception
aKasha has received mixed reviews. Alvise Mainardi of NonSoloCinema wrote that even though the low budget is evident from the film, it's hard not to like it,[3] and Martina Barone of Cinematographe.it felt that while the actors' performances often drag down the quality of the film, this debut shows that the director has a talent for filmmaking.[4]
References
- 1 2 Vourlias, Christopher (29 August 2018). "Venice: Two Refugee Sudanese Actors Unable to Attend Film Premiere". Variety. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
- ↑ Stephen, Phyllis (25 September 2018). "Africa in Motion Film Festival 26 October to 4 November 2018". The Edinburgh Reporter. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
- ↑ Mainardi, Alvise (31 August 2018). ""aKasha" di Hajooj Kuka". NonSoloCinema (in Italian). Retrieved 1 October 2018.
Il budget rimane risicato, e talvolta nell’opera ben si nota questa caratteristica, ma il lavoro che riesce a imbastire pur con tutti i suoi difetti è difficile da disprezzare, vuoi per lo sguardo ironico con cui affronta un tema complesso, vuoi per l’assoluta mancanza di retorica.
- ↑ Barone, Martina (2 September 2018). "Venezia 75 – aKasha (The Roundup): recensione". Cinematographe (in Italian). FilmIsNow. Retrieved 1 October 2018.
Un film decisamente semplice in cui purtroppo gli attori non contribuiscono ad alzare il livello della prestazione generale dell’opera e anzi, a volte, sembrano addirittura abbassare ancora di più il livello qualitativo del tutto. Di certo un tentativo di cinema contemporaneo che mostra la conoscenza delle dinamiche della narrazione, non sapendole però utilizzare al loro meglio, creando un film ingenuo, ma che presenta le abilità di questo aspirante regista.