I Am Not a Witch

Shula, a 9 year-old orphaned girl, is being blamed for every small mishap in the village in Zambia where she lives. Accused of being a witch, she is expelled from the village and must stay in a government-run camp for witches that doubles as freak-show tourist entertainment and a source of oracle wisdom for the local administration. This is the setup in Rungano Nyoni's fascinating debut feature I Am Not a Witch, which illustrates how certain forms of superstition and gender stereotypes are making an impact in some countries in Africa.

But it is not all bad being a witch, just as nothing is entirely black and white in Zambia – or in Nyoni's film, which is both eccentric and realistic, full of dark humour, poetry and a touch of magic. It is a warm and quite astonishing film in which the witches are tied to poles using long ribbons, to prevent them from flying away. This is amazingly captured by cinematographer David Gallego, who also worked on the singular Colombian feature film Embrace of the Serpent (Films from the South 2015). CPH:PIX

Rungano Nyoni (b. 1982) was born in Lusaka in Zambia, but grew up in Cardiff, Wales. She previously directed several award-winning sort films, and was nominated for a BAFTA for Mwansa the Great in 2011. I Am Not a Witch premiered at the Cannes film festival, where it was nominated for the Camera D'Or for best first feature.