Xime is a 1994 Bissau-Guinean drama film directed by Sana Na N'Hada.

Xime
Directed bySana Na N'Hada
Written bySana Na N'Hada
Joop van Wijk
Produced byJoop van Wijk

Jacques Bidou
Jean-Pierre Gallepe

Hillie Molenaar
StarringAful Macka

Justino Neto

José Tamba
CinematographyMelle van Essen
Edited byAnita Fernández
Music byMalam Mane
Patricio Wang
Release date
  • 1994 (1994)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryGuinea-Bissau
LanguageEnglish

Plot

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In the early 1960s, in the village of Xime in Guinea-Bissau, Iala, the father of Raul and Bedan, is worried about his two sons. The eldest, Raul, animated by desires of revolt, has joined the liberation movement, unknown to anyone. He is wanted by the Portuguese colonial authorities while he studies at a seminary in Bissau. Bedan, the younger of the two, a turbulent young man still a teenager, is almost at the age where he must reluctantly submit to the traditional coming-of-age rituals. One of these is dressing in women's clothing. Bedan is also admiring his father's young fiance. In the end, Raul is fatally wounded and stumbles to the wedding, and Bedan joins the revolutionary cause.

Cast

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Production

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This was only the fourth film to be produced in Guinea-Bissau. It was a French-Dutch co-production.[1] It was the first film to be directed by Sana Na N'Hada, although he collaborated on several short films with Flora Gomes.[2] It was a semi-autobiographical work, and he returned to Guinea-Bissau to film it after studying in Cuba.[3]

Release and reception

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Xime was screened at the Cannes Film Festival, in the Un Certain Regard category.[4] It received the Special Jury Prize at the Festival international du film d'Amiens.[5] Xime also received the Special Jury Prize at the Festival International du Premier Film D'Annonay.[6] The film was awarded the Intercultural Communication Prize for a Feature Film at the 1995 Vues d'Afrique festival in Montreal.[7]

Deborah Young of Variety.com was very praiseful of the film. She wrote that it "interests not only for its rare locale but for a fresh approach to historical storytelling" from N'Hada, while the "film's intentions are ambitious, and its black characters are interestingly three-dimensional."[8]

References

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  1. ^ Ukadike, N. Frank; Gomes, Flora (1995). "In Guinea-Bissau, Cinema Trickles down: An Interview with Flora Gomes". Research in African Literatures. 23 (3). Indiana University Press: 179–185. JSTOR 3820147. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  2. ^ Mendy, Peter Karibe; Lobban, Richard M. (2013). Historical Dictionary of the Republic of Guinea-Bissau. Scarecrow Press. p. 93. ISBN 978-0810880276.
  3. ^ Padgett, Esra (29 March 2019). "04/09: SPECIAL SCREENING of XIME with FILMMAKER SANA NA N'HADA". City University of New York. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  4. ^ "Xime". Festival de Cannes. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  5. ^ Videau, Andre (1995). "Le festival du film d'Ames". Persee.fr (in French). Hommes & Migrations. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  6. ^ "Palmarès". Festival International du Premier Film D'Annonay. (in French). Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  7. ^ Cloutier, Mario (8 May 1995). "Les lle Journées du cinéma africain et" (PDF). La Presse (in French). p. A10. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 August 2016. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  8. ^ Young, Deborah (30 May 1994). "Xime". Variety.com. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
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