I Am Not a Witch (2018)
85%RT Audience Score: 73%
Awards & Nominations: Won 1 BAFTA Award
17 wins & 36 nominations total
I Am Not a Witch approaches real-life injustices with a beguiling blend of sorrow, anger, and humor, marking debuting writer-director Rungano Nyoni as an exciting new talent
If you’re looking for a movie that spells everything out for you, then I Am Not A Witch is not your cup of tea. But if you’re up for a visually stunning and thought-provoking film that explores themes of gender, superstition, and identity, then this is the movie for you. Plus, it’s got one of the greatest cinematic images of the year – the witch truck. Who knew a truck could be so bewitching?
Production Company(ies)
Kurosawa Production Co., Sammy Toho Company,
Distributor
Film Movement
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Zambia
MPAA / Certificate
Year of Release
2018
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:1h 30m
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Language(s):English, Nyanja, Bemba, Tonga, (, Tonga, Islands)
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Country of origin:France, United Kingdom
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Sep 7, 2018 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 4, 2018
Genre(s)
Drama
Keyword(s)
I Am Not a Witch, drama, Rungano Nyoni, Juliette Grandmont, Emily Morgan, Maggie Mulubwa, Nancy Murilo, Henry B.J Phiri, Nellie Munamonga, Margaret Spinella, James Manaseh, witch camp, injustice, humor, anger, sorrow, new talent, critic reviews, box office, Film Movement, English, Nyanja, exploitation, oppression, superstition, gender, identity, Zambia, elite, capitalism, ruling class, light tone, profound sadness, captivating story, horror movies, MCU movies, Netflix series, TV shows, streaming movies, director, producer, writer, MPAA rating
Worldwide gross: $182,462
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $214,716
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,917
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 23,415
US/Canada gross: $50,868
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $59,860
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,734
US/Canada opening weekend: $8,252
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $9,711
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,710
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Nancy Murilo – Charity
Henry B.J. Phiri – Mr. Banda
Nellie Munamonga – Officer Josephine
Margaret Spinella – Mama
James Manaseh – Witch Doctor
Director(s)
Rungano Nyoni
Writer(s)
Rungano Nyoni
Producer(s)
Juliette Grandmont, Emily Morgan
Film Festivals
Sundance, Cannes, Toronto
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 BAFTA Award
17 wins & 36 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (81) | Top Critics (30) | Fresh (78) | Rotten (3)
Nyoni teases our assumptions of culpability. She paints portraits of implied mysticism with elegance and precision, slowing time and framing the girl as the center of the film’s universe-not a witch, but a force to be reckoned with nevertheless.
October 30, 2018
Kelley Dong
Film Comment Magazine
TOP CRITIC
If you like things to be spelled out, this is not the film for you.
October 11, 2018 | Rating: 4/5
Danielle White
Austin Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
Even if writer-director Rungano Nyoni’s film were a lesser achievement – less unsettlingly complicated, less bitterly funny, less bluntly sad – it would still have the witch truck, one of the great cinematic images of this or any other year.
September 28, 2018 | Rating: 3/5
Matthew Lickona
San Diego Reader
TOP CRITIC
Nyoni presents one dazzling set piece after another.
September 27, 2018 | Rating: 4/4
Leah Pickett
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
Nyoni, working in English and the local language of Nyanja, has an unforced way of dealing with themes like exploitation, oppression and superstition, showing how easy it can be for nonsense to pass itself off as sense.
September 13, 2018
Kenneth Turan
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
A remarkable, strange and politically potent first film.
September 12, 2018 | Rating: 3/4
Michael O’Sullivan
Washington Post
TOP CRITIC
I Am Not a Witch is an arresting exploration of gender, superstition, and identity wrapped up in a magical realist ribbon.
October 11, 2021
Sandie Angulo Chen
AWFJ Women on Film
I Am Not A Witch is a sad and striking film, told with dignity and visual grace…
October 11, 2021
Cate Marquis
AWFJ Women on Film
I Am Not A Witch is the beautifully crafted and profoundly provocative first feature from writer/director Rungaro Nyoni…
October 11, 2021
Jennifer Merin
AWFJ Women on Film
Nyoni has elegantly crafted a tale that points to the exploitation of Zambia’s poor by an elite that shamelessly promotes superstition and backwardness.
February 21, 2021
Joanne Laurier
World Socialist Web Site
Smartly, Nyoni contrasts the polemical thematics of a capitalist, self-sabotaging country’s ruling class with an accessible filmmaking style and a light tone.
August 13, 2020
Luke Gorham
In Review Online
A captivating story with humour and profound sadness. [Full review in Spanish]
July 5, 2020
Ricardo Gallegos
Pólvora…
Plot
Following a banal incident in her local village, 8-year old girl Shula is accused of witchcraft. After a short trial she is found guilty, taken into state custody and exiled to a witch camp. At the camp she takes part in an initiation ceremony where she is shown the rules surrounding her new life as a witch. Like the other residents, Shula is tied to a ribbon which is attached to a coil that perches on a large truck. She is told that should she ever cut the ribbon, she’ll be cursed and transformed into a goat.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
No specific tidbit is given about someone in the cast.
Rungano-Nyoni.jpg
