Mosotho film starring the late Mary Twala listed at Golden Globes

The film ‘This Is Not A Burial’, It’s A Resurrection’, starring the late South African screen legend Mary Twala, has been long-listed for an award in the Foreign Language Film category of the 78th Golden Globes.

This comes after the film started its Oscar-qualifying run on the 27 November to the 4 December at relevant Ster Kinekor cinemas.

‘This Is Not A Burial, It’s A Resurrection’ is one of the first Mosotho films to be submitted  for the Golden Globes. It is also the first film to screen at an international festival after it was viewed by critics as one of the best at his year’s Sundance Film Festival.

Director Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese says the film is deeply personal for him because of past events in his upbringing.

“When I was a child, my family was evicted from our home. My grandmother’s village is undergoing forced resettlement right now. My experience of displacement has significantly impacted who I am and how  I see the world,” he says.

The film is set in the mountains of Lesotho, starting its first scene with an elderly widow named Mantoa (Mary Twala) who is grieving the loss of her son.  She is determined to die and be laid to rest with her family, her plans are interrupted when she discovers that the village and its cemetery will be forcibly resettled to make way for a dam reservoir. Mantoa then refuses to let the dead be desecrated as she finds a new will to live and ignites a collective spirit of defiance within her community

Starring in this cinematic tribute to land, community and ancestry is film and television icon, known for acting in Tsotsi, Machine Gun Preacher and Five Fingers for Marseilles.

Helen Kuun who is the Managing Director of Indigenous Film Distribution says, “The film continues to travel internationally, and has taken home many awards.”

The film has also been nominated for several Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAAs), including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress ( Mary Twala), Achievement in Cinematography, and Achievement in Production Design.

The film will release in South Africa in 2021.

The star actor of the film, the late Mary Twala, a beloved and veteran actor who died at aged 80. Twala who is also media personality Somizi Mhlongo ‘s mom is known for her various roles in many local productions. She was cast as a guest in the first season of Generations. In 2007, she starred in local drama, Ubizo: The Calling and 2010, she played a support role in Hopeville, which won numerous awards in several festivals and award ceremonies across the continent.

Her role in the “Ma Dolly” film, earned her best-supporting actress nomination at 6th Africa Movie Academy Awards.

Watch ‘This Is Not A Burial, It’s A Resurrection’ official trailer.

Also Read: Mary Twala wins posthumously at Hong Kong International Film Festival

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.