On Wednesday April 12, the Dutch premiere of Tug of War (Vuta N’Kuvute) in Kriterion Amsterdam

On Wednesday April 12 at 7pm, Africadelic, in collaboration with African Architecture Matters, presents the Dutch premiere of Tug of War (Vuta N'Kuvute) in film theatre Kriterion in Amsterdam. This award-winning film about love and resistance in the final years of British colonial rule in Zanzibar received its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and was Tanzania's second Oscar entry ever (and the first in over two decades) – and now you can watch it on the big screen in the Netherlands! With an introduction by Elisabeth Hesemans, who was involved as an actor trainer in the production of the film, and Franka van Marrewijk, who lives and works in Dar es Salaam and is a member of African Architecture Matters, an organisation involved in the redevelopment of Majestic Cinema in Zanzibar, where parts of the film were shot. The evening also serves as a pre-announcement of the Africadelic Festival 2023, which will take place from May 24-31 at various locations across Amsterdam.

Africadelic2023 x Kriterion: Tug of War (Vuta N'Kuvute, NL premiere!)

Date: Wednesday April 12, 2023

Time: 7pm

Venue: Kriterion

Title: Vuta N'Kuvute (Tug of War)

Director: Amil Shivji

Country: Tanzania

Year: 2021

Duration: 92 min

Language: Swahili

Subtitles: English

Extra: Introduction by Elisabeth Hesemans and Franka van Marrewijk

More info & RSVP: www.facebook.com/events/1386626565473015

Tickets: www.kriterion.nl/films/tug-of-war

Trailer here

Synopsis Tug of War

On the coast of the ancient trading port in the ‘Spice Islands’ of the Indian Ocean, under British protectorate and overseen by the Sultan of Oman, Denge, a young Mswahili revolutionary, fights for a free Zanzibar. Denge and his companions import socialist pamphlets and distribute Swahili translations around the island. They stage uprisings in dance halls and clubs from foreigners to demand political independence. Denge dreams of nothing else, until he meets Yasmin. She is a young Indian-Zanzibarian woman in search of her own forbidden freedoms and she didn't expect to be intrigued by Denge's mysteries…

About Africadelic

Africadelic is an annual festival on and around International Africa Day (May 25) celebrating the cultural creativity, diversity and community from Africa and the African diaspora. The Africadelic Festival is an ode to the motherland, its cultural riches, and the impact that Afrodescendants, i.e. people of African descent, have on global culture and society. From May 24-31, 2023, the festival offers another week full of concerts, films, talks and other engaging events in Amsterdam. This premiere screening of Tug of War in Kriterion serves as the pre-announcement of the festival in May.

See you there!