Maisha Maene
Locarno Residency 2023 | Congo
Locarno Residency 2023 | Congo
Born in 1998, Maisha Maene is a Congolese screenwriter and director based in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo. As an Afrofuturist artist, he works on issues of human rights and the environment, and seeks to reconstruct the fragmented history of his country. As well as various collaborative projects, Maisha has written and directed five short films. His most recent short film Mulika was selected for Locarno Film Festival, Clermont Ferrand and Sundance Film Festival.
2018 Regard
2020 Mother Nature
2021 Bila Mask
2021 APA
2022 Mulika
Production: Uhuru Film
Mwezi, a young artisanal mine digger comes across a Niobium gem that connects him to his ancestors, which help him to realize the dream of his people
While the protagonist’s quest does acknowledge the harsh reality of post-colonialism and the consequences it has on his people, his hope for a better future is claimed with such confidence and stoicism that such a positive outcome appears almost objectively unavoidable. Niobium is a black contemporary sci-fi tales which reconnect local African heritage and reality to the typical optimism.
