Musician, Writer and Director, Blitz Bazawuke, better known as Blitz the Ambassador, recently bagged a Golden Globe nomination for his directorial debut, “The Burial of Kojo”. The movie is in the race for “Best Foreign Language Film” at the 2020 Golden Globes, the first Ghanaian film to be considered.
Commenting on the movie, Blitz shared; “Usually movies about Africa are very dystopian, more about survival mode. We never get a chance to break down our people, just end up with a war, and in a war you can’t show nuance in family relationships—the film is about survival. The hardest thing to do is humanize a people that have little history in cinema. Hopefully this film brings father and daughter closer, especially back home.”
“The Burial of Kojo”, tells the story of two brothers through the eyes of its young protagonist Esi, played by Cynthia Dankwa. The movie has been tagged as mystical and visually striking, as it takes viewers on a surreal journey exploring family bonds and the complexity of life and death. It premiered at the Urban World Festival in NYC last year.
The list of contenders includes 95 films from 65 different countries, some of which are Senegal’s “Atlantics” and Malawi’s “The Boy Who Harnessed Wind”.
Much like the Academy’s rules for its Best International Film category (formerly the “Best Foreign Language Film”), the Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globes must contain a predominantly non-English dialogue track. This rule came under fire recently after it was announced that the Lionheart, Nigeria’s first-ever entry to the Oscars, was disqualified from consideration in the Best International Film category on account of it being primarily in English.
More than ever before, there are more films by African filmmakers in the running for major awards this season. There was a record-breaking 10 films from the continent submitted for Oscars consideration.
Golden Globe 2020 nominations will be announced on December 9 and we hope to see The Burial of Kojo on the list.