African Film Archive

I Am Not a Witch

2017 — Rungano Nyoni — Zambia, United Kingdom, France, Germany

feature · comedy, drama · new-voices

Based on interviews Rungano Nyoni conducted with women in Ghana and Zambia accused of witchcraft, her debut feature follows nine year old Shula, exiled to a witch camp and exploited as a tourist attraction by a corrupt official, and won the BAFTA for Outstanding Debut.

Fun fact: The film screened in Directors' Fortnight at Cannes 2017 and was the United Kingdom's official submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.

Notes: Zambian-born, Welsh-raised director. Pioneer priority: second Rungano Nyoni entry alongside On Becoming a Guinea Fowl (2024).

Verification: verified · Sources: [1] [2] [3]

Poster source: Wikipedia