On Becoming a Guinea Fowl

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On Becoming a Guinea Fowl
Directed by Rungano Nyoni
Screenplay byRungano Nyoni
Produced by
CinematographyDavid Gallego
Edited byNathan Nugent
Music byLucrecia Dalt
Production
companies
Distributed by
  • A24 (United States)
Release date
  • May 16, 2024 (2024-05-16)(Cannes)
Running time
95 minutes
CountriesIreland
United Kingdom
United States
Zambia
LanguageEnglish

On Becoming a Guinea Fowl is a 2024 comedy drama film written and directed by Rungano Nyoni.

Contents

The film competed in the Un Certain Regard section at the 77th Cannes Film Festival on 16 May 2024. [1] [2] [3]

Premise

On an empty road in the middle of the night, Shula stumbles across the body of her uncle. As funeral proceedings begin around them, she and her cousins bring to light the buried secrets of their middle-class Zambian family. [4]

Cast

Production

The film is written & directed by Rungano Nyoni and developed by BBC Film and Element Pictures. [5] [6] Financing came from A24 alongside BBC Film and Fremantle. [7] David Gallego is the cinematographer on the project, and Malin Lindholm is the production designer. Producers include Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe for Element Pictures. Production was reported to have begun in October 2022. [8]

Reviews

The film received a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes . [9]

Accolades

AwardCeremony dateCategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef.
Cannes Film Festival 24 May 2024 Un Certain Regard Rungano Nyoni Nominated
Un Certain Regard – Best Director [lower-alpha 1] Won [10]

Notes

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References

  1. "The films of the Official Selection 2024". Festival de Cannes. April 11, 2024. Archived from the original on April 11, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  2. "ON BECOMING A GUINEA FOWL BY RUNGANO NYONI, IN UN CERTAIN REGARD SELECTION AT THE CANNES FESTIVAL 2024". Sortiraparis.com. April 11, 2024. Archived from the original on April 11, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  3. "The Screenings Guide of the 77th Festival de Cannes". Festival de Cannes. May 8, 2024. Archived from the original on May 8, 2024. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
  4. "ON BECOMING A GUINEA FOWL". Festival de Cannes. Archived from the original on May 7, 2024. Retrieved May 5, 2024.
  5. "BBC Film celebrates four films in official selection at Cannes Film Festival 2024". BBC News. April 11, 2024. Archived from the original on April 11, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  6. "Irish films to have "strong presence" at 2024 Cannes Film Festival". IrishCentral. April 12, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  7. Ritman, Alex (April 11, 2024). "A24 Boards Rungano Nyoni's Cannes Entry 'On Becoming a Guinea Fowl' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on April 13, 2024. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  8. Lavallee, Eric (January 11, 2023). "Top 200 Most Anticipated Foreign Films of 2023: #121. Rungano Nyoni's On Becoming a Guinea Fowl". Ioncinema. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2024.
  9. "On Becoming a Guinea Fowl | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
  10. Lodge, Guy (May 24, 2023). "Cannes Film Festival: 'Black Dog' Wins Un Certain Regard Award". Variety . Retrieved May 24, 2023.