Tug of War | |
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Vuta N'Kuvute | |
Directed by | Amil Shivji |
Screenplay by | |
Based on | Vuta N'Kuvute by Shafi Adam Shafi |
Produced by | |
Starring |
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Cinematography | Zenn van Zyl |
Edited by |
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Music by |
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Production companies |
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Release date |
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Running time | 1hr 32m |
Country | Tanzania |
Language | Swahili |
Tug of War (original title: Vuta N'Kuvute) is a 2021 Tanzanian coming-of-age political drama about love and resistance set in the final years of British colonial Zanzibar. The film was directed by Amil Shivji based on the award-winning novel of the same name by Adam Shafi. [1] [2] Tug of War is Tanzania's second entry ever, and its first in 21 years, for the Academy Award Best International Feature category. [3] [4] In November 2022, it was awarded the Tanit d'Or, the top prize at Tunisia's Carthage Film Festival. [5]
Taking place in 1950s Zanzibar, Tug of War is set during the movement to win independence for Zanzibar, then a British Protectorate. Denge, a young freedom fighter trained in the Soviet Union, distributes “Free Zanzibar” pamphlets and recruits people to the cause. One of his recruits is Yasmin, a run-away bride from a privileged, upper class Indian-Zanzibari family. She falls in love with Denge and becomes committed to the independence movement. [6]
Zanzibar is an insular semi-autonomous region which united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. It is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, 25–50 km (16–31 mi) off the coast of the African mainland, and consists of many small islands and two large ones: Unguja and Pemba Island. The capital is Zanzibar City, located on the island of Unguja. Its historic centre, Stone Town, is a World Heritage Site.
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Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF), also known as Festival of the Dhow Countries, is an annual film festival held in Zanzibar, Tanzania and one of the largest cultural events in East Africa. ZIFF is a non-governmental organization established in 1997 to develop and promote film and other cultural industries as catalyst for the regional social and economic growth.
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