Tug of War (2021 film) explained

Tug of War
Native Name:	Vuta N'Kuvute
Director:	Amil Shivji
Screenplay:	Amil Shivji Jenna Cato Bass
Based On:	Vuta N'Kuvute by Shafi Adam Shafi
Producer:	Steven Markovitz Amil Shivji
Starring:	Gudrun Columbus Mwanyika Siti Amina Ikhlas Gafur Vora
Cinematography:	Zenn van Zyl
Editing:	Nadia Ben Rachid Matthew Swanepoel
Music:	Amin Bouhafa Amélie Legrand
Studio:	Big World Cinema Kijiweni Productions NiKo Film
Runtime:	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]

Plot

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]

Awards

• Best Feature Film Zanzibar International Film Festival 2022 (Tanzania)
• Best East African Feature Film Zanzibar International Film Festival 2022 (Tanzania)
• Best Actor Zanzibar International Film Festival 2022 (Tanzania)
• Special Jury Prize Seattle International Film Festival 2022 (USA)
• Best Long Fiction Mashariki African Film Festival 2021 (Rwanda)
• Oumarou Ganda Prize for Best Fiction FESPACO 2021 (Burkina Faso)
• Doha Film Institute Post Production Fund Spring 2020 (Qatar)
• Visions Sud Est Post Production Fund 2020 (Switzerland)
• World Cinema Production Fund 2019 (Germany)

Festivals

• Toronto International Film Festival (2021) where it was the first Tanzanian film to be screened at TIFF^[7]
• African Film Festival (2022)
• Seattle International Film Festival (2022)^[8]
• Black Star Film Festival (2022)
• Afrika Film Festival Cologne (2022)
• Afrykamera (2022)
• Qisah International Film Festival (2022)
• Carthage Film Festival (2022)
• International Film Festival of Kerala (2022)

Notes and References

1. News: Vourlias . Christopher . 2021-09-12 . Tanzania’s Amil Shivji on Love and Resistance in Toronto Film Festival Period Drama ‘Tug of War’ . en-US . Variety . 2022-10-11.
2. Web site: 2022-01-07 . Tanzania: Director Amil Shivji puts Tanzanian cinema on the global map with ‘Tug of War’ . 2022-10-11 . The Africa Report.com . en-US.
3. Web site: Ahmed . Abdulateef . 2022-09-23 . Tug of War: Tanzania Makes First Oscar Entry in 21 Years . 2022-10-11 . News Central TV Latest Breaking News Across Africa, Daily News in Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Kenya and Egypt Today. . en-US.
4. Web site: 2022-09-21 . Tanzania makes Oscar Awards entry in 21 years with Tug Of War film . 2022-10-11 . The Citizen . en.
5. Web site: 2022-11-06 . Tanzanian 'Tug of War' wins top prize at Carthage Film Festival . 2022-11-10 . France 24 . en.
6. Web site: 2021-09-18 . TIFF 2021: ‘Tug of War’ Film Review . 2022-10-11 . blackfilm.com . en-US . 2022-10-13 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221013104249/https://www.blackfilm.com/read/2021/09/tiff-2021-tug-of-war-film-review/ . dead .
7. Web site: 2021-09-27 . Tanzanian Filmmaker Amil Shiviji is Making History with a Story of Love and Resistance . 2022-10-11 . OkayAfrica . en.
8. Web site: Tug of War . 2022-11-10 . www.siff.net . en.