ajabu
ajabu
✳✳✳
ajabu ajabu audio-visual house @ kimweri
maangamizi & the art of return
re:sisterrr x mama mishe *
apostles of cinema
hadithi hadithi
picha la leo
semi za picha *
kuna mende kwenye mashine
cherish
tuchoree mto
manifested belonging *
Apostles of Cinema (or Tenzi za Sinema) is a short film produced by ajabu ajabu that documents three ‘informal’ film workers as they re-introduce a classic piece of the country’s film history (Maangamizi: The Ancient One) to their audiences of working class cinephiles. A glimpse into the labyrinth of informal libraries, studios, and cinemas that exist to keep film and film culture alive in Tanzania, and a testament to the profound cultural value of film made radically accessible.
In 2001, a film was released from Tanzania titled Maangamizi: The Ancient One. Despite international acclaim, the film went virtually unseen at home — a fate far too common for works of African cinematic heritage.
Ajabu Ajabu’s interrogation into why this is has been met by popular response that the country is ‘lacking in film culture’.
Apostles of Cinema counters this claim. (Informally) constructed around Ajabu Ajabu’s efforts to ‘return’ this piece of cinematic heritage to local audiences — the work examines the definition of preservation and advocates for a re-imagination of the practice to prioritise cultural value. What is proposed by our collective and our collaborators is an ethos of radical accessibility based upon open and inclusive modes of circulation, interpretation, and communion.
It is our hope that this window into the, actually, exceptionally vibrant film cultures of Tanzania can build solidarity around distribution practices that centre a reciprocal relationship with audience and highlight the inter-dependency driving contemporary experiences of cinema around the world. ✨
06/03/23
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03/01/24
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27/02/24
27/04/25
08/03/23
23/04/23
27/04/23
16/05/23
19/05/23
05/06/23
07/06/23
22/06/23
28/06/23
21/07/23
03/08/23
04/08/23
07/08/23
28/08/23
01/09/23
04/09/23
09/09/23
11/10/23
23/10/23
08/11/23
06/11/23
14/11/23
15/11/23
15/11/23
03/01/24
19/01/24
27/02/24
27/04/25
world premiere: manyema sinema (TZ)
tampere film festival (FI)
estación terrena(CO)
int’l short film festival oberhausen (DE)
flatpack festival (UK)tampere film festival (FI)
estación terrena(CO)
int’l short film festival oberhausen (DE)
ny african film festival (US)
eye international conference (NL)
kurzfilm festival hamburg (DE)
encounters int’l doc festival (SA)
zanzibar international film festival (TZ)
durban international film festival (SA) * winner best african short
melbourne international film festival (AU)
dokufest (XK)
la guarimba film festival (IT) * winner best documentary
odense int’l film festival (DK)
FAME short film festival (SA)
drama international short film festival (GR) * winner best production
dmz docs (KR)
chicago international film festival (US) * nominee best short
uppsala int’l short film festival (SE)
aesthetica film festival (UK)
norwich film festival (UK)
interfilm festival berlin (DE) * winner best documentary
cork international film festival (IE) * nominee best short
anthology film archives - w/ millennium film journal (US)
shorts attack (DE)
london short film festival (UK)
joburg film festival (SA)
chronic youth film festival (UK)
Apostles of Cinema (2023)
documentary short
documentary short