Tug of War / Vuta n’kuvute

Film

by Amil Shivji

Details

Tanzania, South Africa, Germany and Qatar / 2021 / 92mins / Historical Drama / Romance / English and Swahili

Denge, a young freedom fighter, meets Yasmin, an Indian-Zanzibari woman, in the middle of the night as she is on her way to be married. Passion and revolution ensue in this coming-of-age political love story set in the final years of British colonial Zanzibar.

Trailer

About the Director

Amil Shivji

Amil Shivji was born in Tanzania and is a filmmaker and lecturer at the University of Dar es Salaam. He believes in using images to challenge the powers that be, in particular, by deconstructing urban facades of development and emphasizing the strength and struggles of marginalized communities. Amil has written, directed, and produced short films that have participated in Rotterdam and FESPACO, winning the People’s Choice Award in Zanzibar and Best Director in Africa. His feature directorial debut, T-Junction, (2017), opened the Zanzibar International Film Festival, winning three awards. He has a Masters in Fine Arts from York University in Toronto. His second feature, Tug of War (2021), was the winner of the Best Long Feature award at the Mashariki African Film Festival in Rwanda, and the winner of the Oumarou Ganda Prize at FESPACO 2021. Learn More