I Am Not a Witch

Rungano Nyoni and her dark fairy tale set in Zambia received a lengthy standing ovation in Cannes. Denounced as a witch and defenseless against the charges, a nine-year-old orphan girl named Shula is sent to a camp for witches. Banished from the community, segregated women are forced to do hard labor, used for local entertainment, and treated as tourist attraction (thorugh a few satirical scenes, the director sketches out the image of the tourism of suffering that exploits violence and poverty. Every witch has a white ribbon attached to her back to keep her from flying away. In the film, this ribbon is the realism through which the magical, fairytale world never loses contact with reality. Ideal doses of the exotic and familiar, symbolism and real-life customs, and a hefty handful of poetry, a touch of humor, and the alluring little Maggie Mulubwa in the lead role conjure up a magic spell that continues to work long after leaving the cinema.