War Witch

War Witch
Film poster
FrenchRebelle
Directed byKim Nguyen
Written byKim Nguyen
Produced byPierre Even
Marie-Claude Poulin
Starring
CinematographyNicolas Bolduc
Edited byRichard Comeau
Distributed byMétropole Films
Release dates
  • 17 February 2012 (2012-02-17) (Berlin)
  • October 2012 (2012-10) (Canada)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryCanada
LanguagesFrench
Lingala
Box office$70,544[1]

War Witch (French: Rebelle, lit. 'Rebel') is a 2012 Canadian dramatic war film written and directed by Kim Nguyen and starring Rachel Mwanza, Alain Lino Mic Eli Bastien and Serge Kanyinda. It is about a child soldier forced into a civil war in Africa, and who is believed to be a witch. The film was primarily shot in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in French and Lingala.

After premiering at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival, the film received positive reviews. It won several honours, including ten at the 1st Canadian Screen Awards, notably Best Motion Picture. War Witch was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.

Plot

[edit]

During a civil war in sub-Saharan Africa, a 12-year-old girl named Komona is abducted by a rebel group who raided her village to become a child soldier under a warlord known as the Great Tiger. The rebels compel Komona to kill her own parents. Then, she is sailed to a deserted island with many more children. They are used as porters, then taught to use automatic weapons and forced to go to war with the rebels. After drinking tree sap, she begins to experience vivid hallucinations. When her visions enable her to survive an attack, she is considered to be a child witch and is viewed as an asset by the Great Tiger.

Komona and her young love interest, a boy with albinism known as Magician, eventually escape the rebels and move to live with her uncle. He hopes to marry her, and she asks him to capture a rare white rooster to secure her agreement. He does so but she is tracked down and kidnapped by one of the Great Tiger's commanders, and Magician is killed. After Komona becomes the commander's concubine, she kills him and runs away to her uncle, narrating her life story to her fetus. On the way to her hometown, to bury her parents who have been haunting her, she gives birth to a baby boy whom she names after the magician.

Cast

[edit]
  • Rachel Mwanza as Komona
  • Alain Lino Mic Eli Bastien as Commandant-rebelle
  • Serge Kanyinda as Magician
  • Mizinga Mwinga as Grand Tigre Royal
  • Ralph Prosper as Boucher
  • Jean Kabuya as School camp coach
  • Jupiter Bokondji as Royal Tiger sorcerer
  • Starlette Mathata as Komona's mother
  • Alex Herabo as Komona's father
  • Dole Malalou as Coltan dealer
  • Karim Bamaraki as Biker

Production

[edit]
Director Kim Nguyen wrote the screenplay after reading about child soldiers in Burma.

Montreal director Kim Nguyen wrote the screenplay over a period of 10 years, inspired by an article about children in Burma leading a rebellion force.[2] In researching the film, Nguyen met real child soldiers and humanitarian staff. He envisioned his project as "a redemption story about a child who lives through war and peace."[3]

War Witch was primarily filmed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.[4] Nguyen discovered Rachel Mwanza and numerous other child actors for his cast in Kinshasa, DRC, after open auditions.[5][6] Mwanza had never acted before,[7] and was 15 by September 2012. Nguyen said that "Rachel was living in the streets before we did the film".[6][8] Besides the novice Congolese actors, professional Canadian actors joined the cast.[9]

Most of War Witch was filmed in the order of the story.[3] It was only the second film shot in the DRC in 25 years, and due to security concerns, the crew was accompanied by soldiers with AK-47s, and insurance was challenging to obtain.[10][11]

Release

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The film had its debut at the Berlin International Film Festival on 17 February 2012, where it was seen by 1,500 people. Nguyen became the first Canadian to compete for the Silver Bear in 13 years.[10] In the spring, it played in North America for the first time at the Tribeca Film Festival.[12] It also screened from 14 to 15 September at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival.[13]

It had a limited release in Toronto and Ottawa on 21 September 2012.[2] At Tribeca, distribution rights were sold for the United States.[12]

Reception

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Critical response

[edit]
Congolese actress Rachel Mwanza received positive reviews and awards for her performance.

War Witch has a 94% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 63 reviews , and an average rating of 8/10. The website's critical consensus states: "War Witch is a mature, intense drama that embraces the bruatlity [sic] of its subject and invites the audience to sympathize with its protagonist's nightmarish circumstances".[14] It also has a score of 84 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 16 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[15]

Guy Dixon, writing for The Globe and Mail, gave the film three stars, saying it transcended war films and Rachel Mwanza gave a great performance.[16] The National Post rated it three stars, declaring it "a film you won’t be able to look away from no matter how hard you want to".[13] Jay Stone of The Winnipeg Free Press assessed the film as "harrowing" with "strikingly authentic performances", including from Mwanza.[17]

Stephen Holden's The New York Times review complimented the film for its portrayal of Komona, lacking luridness or smugness.[18] In Variety, Leslie Felperin said the treatment was appropriately "harrowing" for the topic, and positively reviewed Nguyen's aptitude.[19] The Boston Globe's Ty Burr assessed it as "grim yet clear-eyed, and it seeks out glimmers of hope in individual resilience and in the connections that bind us together".[20]

In The Hollywood Reporter, Deborah Young hailed it as an "extraordinary story".[21] University of Berlin film scholar Claudia Kotte wrote War Witch, with Incendies (2010), Monsieur Lazhar (2011) and Inch'Allah (2012), represent a break from focus in the Cinema of Quebec on local history to more global concerns.[22]

Accolades

[edit]

The film was Canada's entry in the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 85th Academy Awards.[23]
[24] It was a rare Canadian submission for featuring a substantial amount of Lingala as well as French.[25] It was among nine shortlisted in December 2012,[26] and became one of the five nominees.[27] Mwanza received a visa to allow her to attend the Academy Awards.[7] It was the third consecutive Quebec film nominated, following Incendies and Monsieur Lazhar, with Nguyen proclaiming "People around the world are looking at Quebec cinema now and waiting for the next director to come out of here. This has a tremendous impact on a country’s recognition outside of its borders".[28]

The film was in competition for the Golden Bear at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival in February 2012.[29]
[30] It also triumphed at the 1st Canadian Screen Awards, which replaced the Genie Awards that year in honouring Canadian film.[31]

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Academy Awards 24 February 2013 Best Foreign Language Film Kim Nguyen Nominated [27]
Berlin International Film Festival 9–19 February 2012 Silver Bear for Best Actress Rachel Mwanza Won [32]
Ecumenical Jury Special Mention War Witch Won [23]
Cambridge Film Festival 13–23 September 2012 Audience Award for Best Fiction Feature Kim Nguyen Won [33]
Canadian Screen Awards 3 March 2013 Best Motion Picture Pierre Even, Marie-Claude Poulin Won [34]
[35]
[36]
[37]
Best Director Kim Nguyen Won
Best Original Screenplay Won
Best Actress Rachel Mwanza Won
Best Supporting Actor Serge Kanyinda Won
Best Art Direction/Production Design Emmanuel Fréchette, Josée Arsenault Won
Best Cinematography Nicolas Bolduc Won
Best Editing Richard Comeau Won
Best Overall Sound Claude La Haye, Daniel Bisson and Bernard Gariépy Strobl Won
Best Sound Editing Martin Pinsonnault, Jean-François Sauvé, Simon Meilleur and Claire Pochon Won
Best Costume Design Éric Poirier Nominated
Best Visual Effects Ève Brunet, Marc Morissette and Alexandra Vaillancourt Nominated
Independent Spirit Awards February 23, 2013 Best International Film Kim Nguyen Nominated [38]
Jutra Awards March 2013 Best Film Pierre Even and Marie-Claude Poulin Won [39]
Best Director Kim Nguyen Won
Best Screenplay Won
Best Actress Rachel Mwanza Won
Best Supporting Actor Serge Kanyinda Won
Best Cinematography Nicolas Bolduc Won
Best Editing Richard Comeau Won
Best Sound Claude La Haye, Martin Pinsonnault and Bernard Gariépy Strobl Won
Best Costume Design Éric Poirier Nominated
Best International Motion Picture Kim Nguyen Nominated
NAACP Image Award 21–22 February 2014 Outstanding International Motion Picture Won [40]
Tribeca Film Festival April 2012 Best Narrative Feature Kim Nguyen Won [41]
[42]
Best Actress Rachel Mwanza Won
Vancouver Film Critics Circle 2013 Best Canadian Film Kim Nguyen Won [43]
Best Actress in a Canadian Film Rachel Mwanza Won
Best Supporting Actor in a Canadian Film Serge Kanyinda Won
Vancouver International Film Festival September 27–October 12, 2012 Best Canadian Feature Film Kim Nguyen Nominated [44]
[45]
Prix collégial du cinéma québécois 2013 Best Film War Witch Nominated [46]

See also

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References

[edit]
  1. ^ "War Witch: Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  2. ^ a b Ahearn, Victoria (20 September 2012). "'Rebelle' film shows paradoxes of child soldiers as well as its Congolese star". The Canadian Press.
  3. ^ a b Goldmann, A.J. (17 February 2012). "An African child soldier's violent tale of redemption". The Toronto Star. p. E6.
  4. ^ "Rebelle". Tiff.net. Archived from the original on 4 January 2013. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
  5. ^ Power, Tom (2012). "Kim Nguyen's 'War Witch' captures child soldier's strife". CBC Radio. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  6. ^ a b Ahearn, Victoria (13 September 2012). "'Rebelle' star not living a 'fairytale,' despite accolades, says director". The Canadian Press.
  7. ^ a b "Oscars 2013: Congolese War Witch hopeful gets US visa". BBC News. 21 February 2013. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  8. ^ Hanna, Beth (28 February 2013). "Interview: Canadian Director Kim Nguyen Talks Foreign Oscar Nominee 'War Witch'". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 8 October 2023. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  9. ^ Collett-White, Mike (17 February 2012). "New film shows African conflict through eyes of girl". Reuters. Archived from the original on 12 May 2017. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  10. ^ a b Wyatt, Nelson (17 February 2012). "First Canadian in 13 years vying for Berlin's top film prize at Berlinale". The Canadian Press.
  11. ^ Rohter, Larry (7 February 2013). "Needing an Armed Convoy to Make a Film". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 8 October 2023. Retrieved 8 October 2023.
  12. ^ a b Cox, Gordon (14 June 2012). "'War Witch' to Tribeca". Daily Variety. p. 4.
  13. ^ a b J.K.G. (5 September 2012). "TIFF mini reviews: M to S". National Post. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  14. ^ "War Witch (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 28 July 2018.
  15. ^ "War Witch". Metacritic.
  16. ^ Dixon, Guy (21 September 2012). "Rebelle: Far more than a war film". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  17. ^ Stone, Jay (11 January 2013). "Horror, humanity and magic in blood-soaked African jungle". The Winnipeg Free Press. p. D6.
  18. ^ Holden, Stephen (28 February 2013). "Atrocities, Through a Child's Eyes". The New York Times. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  19. ^ Felperin, Leslie (27 February 2012). "War Witch". Variety. Vol. 426, no. 3. p. 62.
  20. ^ Burr, Ty (27 March 2013). "Grim 'War Witch' foresees some hope". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 29 March 2017.
  21. ^ Young, Deborah (17 February 2012). "War Witch: Berlin Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
  22. ^ Kotte, Claudia (2015). "Zero Degrees of Separation: Post-Exilic Return in Denis Villeneuve's Incendies". Cinematic Homecomings. Bloomsbury Academic. p. 288.
  23. ^ a b "Telefilm Canada announces that Kim Nguyen's War Witch (Rebelle) is Canada's selection for the Best Foreign Language Oscar". Telefilm Canada. 18 September 2012. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  24. ^ Dunlevy, T'cha (18 September 2012). "Kim Nguyen's Rebelle (War Witch) is Canada's Oscar submission for best foreign language film". The Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 18 September 2012.
  25. ^ Wong, Jessica (23 September 2016). "Xavier Dolan's It's Only the End of the World to be Canada's Oscar foreign-language film submission". CBC News. Retrieved 3 January 2017.
  26. ^ "9 Foreign Language Films Vie For Oscar". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 30 December 2012. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
  27. ^ a b "Oscars: Hollywood announces 85th Academy Award nominations". BBC News. 10 January 2013. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  28. ^ Knight, Chris (10 January 2013). "Canadian director Kim Nguyen on his Oscar nomination for War Witch (Rebelle): 'We're clearly the underdog'". National Post. Retrieved 6 August 2013.
  29. ^ "Rebelle de Kim Nguyen en première mondiale à Berlin". cinoche. 20 January 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  30. ^ "'Bel Ami' With Robert Pattinson, Uma Thurman Gets World Premiere in Berlin". The Hollywood Reporter. 20 January 2012. Archived from the original on 22 January 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2012.
  31. ^ Mesley, Wendy; Nathoo, Zulekha (3 March 2013). "The movie 'War Witch' was the main winner of the Canadian Screen Awards". The National. CBC Television.
  32. ^ "Prizes of the International Jury 2012". Berlinale. 19 February 2012. Archived from the original on 28 February 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2012.
  33. ^ Sandwell, Ian (28 September 2012). "War Witch wins audience award at Cambridge Film Festival". Screen International. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  34. ^ Barnard, Linda (3 March 2013). "Canadian Screen Awards raises the star wattage". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 15 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.
  35. ^ D. Johnson, Brian (15 January 2013). "Introducing the Canadian Screen Awards, and their 2013 nominees". Maclean's. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  36. ^ CBC News (3 March 2013). "War Witch triumphs at Canadian Screen Awards gala". CBC.ca. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  37. ^ Tribute (4 March 2013). "War Witch wins at the first Canadian Screen Awards". Tribute. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  38. ^ "2013 Spirit Award Nominations Announced". Independent Spirit Awards. 27 November 2012. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  39. ^ Vlessing, Etan (19 March 2013). "Kim Nguyen's War Witch dominates Jutras in Quebec". Playback. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  40. ^ Aaron Couch, Arlene Washington (22 February 2014). "NAACP Image Awards: The Winners". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 22 February 2014.
  41. ^ A. Fernandez, Jay (26 April 2012). "'War Witch' and 'The World Before Her' Take Top Prizes at 2012 Tribeca Film Festival". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  42. ^ CBC News (27 April 2012). "Tribeca film fest crowns 2 Canadian films". CBC.ca. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  43. ^ Ng, Danielle (8 January 2013). "Beyond the Black Rainbow, War Witch win at Vancouver critics awards". Playback. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
  44. ^ News Staff (23 September 2012). "Vancouver International Film Festival brings the world to the West Coast". CJNI-FM. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  45. ^ "Vancouver International Film Festival Opens Today; Deepa Mehta's New Film 'Midnight's Children' Kick". CBC.ca. 27 September 2012. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 10 October 2023.
  46. ^ "LAURENCE ANYWAYS REMPORTE LE PRIX COLLÉGIAL DU CINÉMA QUÉBÉCOIS". Voir, March 26, 2013.
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