The Great Bazaar

Four stories in a Mozambican village. Stories about a water can, a well that gets broken, a lonely hunter, and a bird that becomes a radio.

Accused of having caused the death of her husband, she was persecuted and humiliated. Twice she proved her innocence. Even so, she was punished in a merciless fashion.

In 1989, Mozambique is a country ruined by civil war. The train that connects Nampula to Malawi is the only hope for people willing to risk their lives to exchange a few bags of salt for sugar. Running slowly over sabotaged tracks, the journey is filled with obstacles and violence. Mariamu, a frequent traveler, shares her trip with her friend Rosa, a nurse who is going to her new hospital, living the reality of war for the first time, Lieutenant Taiar, who only knows the reality of his military life, and another soldier, Salomão, with whom he doesn’t get along. Amongst bullets and laughter, stories of love and war unfold as the train advances towards the next stop.

1975, Mozambique’s rebirth as an independent nation. The young revolution sweeps the streets of Maputo clean of prostitutes and bad habits. The prostitutes are sent to re-education camps deep in the countryside, where they will become “new women” – loyal comrades of the new nation. As the “clean-up” takes place, Margarida, a 16-year-old girl from the countryside, is mistakenly taken. Drawing on the stories of real women, Virgin Margarida is a dramatic exploration of a little known chapter in Mozambique’s history. A chapter that made no allowance for individuality and enshrined male domination as an ideology.

As children, a Mozambique native and a Portuguese colonialist were friends. Years have passed and Mozambique is fighting for its independence. Two childhood friends meet on opposing sides.

In the form of a short political fable, Nhinguitimo explores the relations between the dispossession of rural land—and its crops—and the colonial system. The story of the rebellion of one single farm worker against the colonizers six decades ago can also shape a reflexion on the persisting exploitation of the territory and its people.

In the colonial era the Grande Hotel in the city of Beira was the largest in Mozambique: 350 rooms, luxurious suites, Olympic-sized swimming pool... At present the building, which is in ruins, with no electricity or running water, is inhabited by 3500 people. Some have been living there for twenty years. In addition to the rooms, the foyers, corridors, service areas and basement of the hotel - here it's always night-time - also serve as residences.

“A Colheita do Diabo is my first major film experience (…) in which for the first time, aside from theatre actors, I used people who had no [film] experience. The main characters were former fighters, former FRELIMO guerrilla fighters who took part in the war for independence.” Licínio de Azevedo