On Becoming a Guinea Fowl

TIFF65: Greek Premiere

The highly anticipated second film by Rungano Nyoni, following the multi-award-winning I Am Not a Witch, is a bold, surreal drama that immerses us in a little-known place and its traditions, alongside the familiar labyrinths where dark family secrets dwell like modern-day Minotaurs. The story unfolds in Zambia, where Shula, after discovering the dead body of her uncle Fred, is swept into an emotional whirlwind. As the family prepares for a days-long funeral, old wounds and unspoken truths come to light. Blending black comedy with a touch of inventive surrealism and fearless emotional precision, the film delves into themes such as grief, the cost of burying painful memories, and the liberating power of truth. On Becoming a Guinea Fowl immerses us in a magical world where the boundaries between fantasy and reality blur, and the narrative makes clear that secrets, no matter how deeply buried, always find a way to the surface.

Screening Schedule

No physical screenings scheduled.

Direction: Rungano Nyoni

Cinematography: David Gallego

Editing: Nathan Nugent

Sound: Olivier Dandré

Music: Lucrecia Dalt

Actors: Susan Chardy, Roy Chisha, Blessings Bhamjee, Chungu Bwalya, Margaret Mulubwa, Henry B.J. Phiri, Elizabeth Chisela, Benson Mumba, Doris Naulapwa, Mary Mulabo, Norah Mwansa, Hildah Mwanza, Febby Lungu, Gillian Sakala, Carol Natasha Mwale, Loveness Nakwiza, Bwalya Chipampata, Faustina Tembo, Justina Mudenda, Esther Yobe, Sombo Kapole, Stella Njolomba, Benson Mshanga, Aaron Sakala, Cathy Mazambani, Esther Singini, Mwaale Chendende, Fred Mumba, Dinah Kayumba, Edwidge Lunkoto, Andrew Simutinta, Brian

Production: Element Pictures, BBC Film, Fremantle, A24 Films

Producers: Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Tim Cole

Costumes: Estelle Don Banda

Production Design: Malin Lindholm

Executive producer: Eva Yates, Christian Vesper, Olivia Sleiter

Make Up: Dinga’tse Sendama

Format: DCP

Color: Color

Production Country: Zambia, UK, Ireland

Production Year: 2024

Duration: 99'

Contact: A24 Films

Awards/Distinctions: Best Director – Cannes FF 2024

Rungano Nyoni

Rungano Nyoni is a self-taught writer and director. She was born in Lusaka, Zambia, and grew up in Wales, UK. Rungano’s first short film The List, won a BAFTA Cymru, and her subsequent short film, Mwansa the Great, was selected for over 100 international film festivals and was nominated for a BAFTA in 2012. In 2013, Rungano wrote Z1, which subsequently won Best Short at The British Independent Film Awards. Her short Listen has been nominated for a European Film Award (2015) and won the Best Short Narrative Prize at the Tribeca Film Festival. Rungano's debut feature was I Am Not a Witch. It follows the story of an 8-year-old girl exiled to a Witch Camp. The film premiered at Cannes and was nominated for numerous international awards. In 2018, Rungano won the BAFTA for Outstanding Debut by a British writer, director, or producer. She also won Best Director and Best Debut Director at the 2017 British Independent Film Awards. In 2018 Rungano received the Wellcome Trust Fellowship.