As the world holds its collective breath for the reopening of public life and events in 2021, many continue to find comfort in the smorgasbord of visual entertainment that film festivals, streaming platforms, and media brands have put on offer. 

In support of the launch of No Direct Flight—a new series exploring the aesthetics of the African diaspora—South African filmmaker Jabu Nadia Newman shares her list of films and projects that have recently captured her attention and imagination.

As Told To G/D Thyself (2019)

The Ummah Chroma (Terence Nance, Jenn Nkiru, Marc Thomas, Kamasi Washington, and Bradford Young) take us on a cosmic journey of sacred youth, during which pain, pleasure, and sublimation are nonnegotiable. Inspired by and featuring music from Heaven and Earth, the fourth studio album by jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington, the film explores his vision for the near future.

I am Afraid to Forget Your Face (2020)

Winner of the Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival in 2020, I Am Afraid to Forget Your Face was directed by Egyptian filmmaker Sameh Alaa and follows the story of a man who, after being separated for 82 days, travels down a rough road to be reunited with the one he loves.

I am Not a Witch (2017)

Set in Zambia, the home of writer-director Rungano Nyoni, I Am Not A Witch revolves around a 9-year-old girl, Shula, who is accused of witchcraft. As Shula is sentenced to life imprisonment, the film becomes a critical commentary on Zambia's history of misogyny. Nyoni's debut feature premiered at Cannes Festival and has continued to inspire interest around the world.

Klein: Marks of Worship

Questioning alienation and personal identity within a familial group, Akinola Davies Jr. directs the visual accompaniment to Klein's song. The musician described writing this piece as "self-therapy" as the director captures her in the middle of a traditional Nigerian celebration before partaking in a ritualistic and spiritual cleansing.

Home Videos (2019 - )

Returning home to North Carolina, comedian Jerrod Carmichael talks intimately with his family and the women in his life, exploring common themes within the Black experience, and speaking candidly about sex, confidence, beauty standards and feminism.

This is Not a burial, It’s a Resurrection (2019)

Writer and director Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese meditates on life, death and the power of the human spirit. The film follows the life of Mantoa, an 80-year-old Mosotho widow preparing for the end of her life, who is forced to resettle when reservoir construction works threaten her homeland. 

Nomadland (2021)

An American neo-Western drama directed, written, edited and produced by Chloe Zhao, based on the 2017 book "Nomadland: Surviving America in the Twenty-First Century" by Jessica Bruder. After losing everything in the Great Recession, a woman embarks on a journey through the American West, living as a van-dwelling, modern-day nomad.

Jackie (2020)

British model Jodie Turner-Smith collaborated with Dazed and Gucci for a new series that challenged a selection of artists to do something they had never done before: get behind the camera and into the director’s seat. Jackie is a film about escapism, focusing on a woman who is alone but never lonely. Despite the pressures of the outside world, she remains defiant in her solitude. 

Happy as Lazaro (2018)

Winner of Best Screenplay at Cannes Film Festival 2020, Alice Rohrwacher’s Happy as Lazzaro follows the adventures of a man living on the margins of society who can seemingly also travel through time. Rohrwacher's uses the story of a precious friendship to create a satisfyingly expansive canvas of injustice and martyrdom.