Narrated by the musician Busiswa Gqulu, the film aims to take its audience on a journey back in time that explores the complex conditions that the musician faced. 

A CAN DO! film, directed by Fred Kayembe and Vaughn Thiel, the Pineappletop Films production, produced by The Kollektive, aims to explore modern ideas of independence, femininity and identity through Gqulu's story.

"The focus of the Africa Rising International Film Festival this year is inclusion," says Ayanda Sithebe, one of the organisers of the Africa Rising International Film Festival. "With that said, we are thrilled to have a story about a powerful woman who is changing the game in more ways than one lead our opening night." 

The four-day programme will include The Chi's creator and coveted writer Lena Waithe's Queen & Slim, starring Black Panther's Daniel Kaluuya. Described as the 'modern-day Bonnie and Clyde,' the film is directed by Melina Matsoukas, who is best known for her work on Beyonce's culture-defining visual formation. Queen & Slim is due for American release on the opening night of the Africa Rising International Film Festival.


For more information, visit www.ariff.me. You can also follow the Africa Rising International Film Festival on Facebook or on Instagram.