NO SIMPLE WAY HOME
Filmmaker Akuol de Mabior was 16 years old when her father was killed in a helicopter crash — just three weeks after his inauguration as Sudan's vice president in 2005. John Garang de Mabior, who had led the liberation movement for more than 20 years, is now revered as the founding father of South Sudan. Born and raised in exile, Akuol de Mabior follows her mother and sister to the young republic where they now live and where they have both found their roles. During the course of her film, we observe Akuol's mother taking on political responsibility as one of the nation's five vice presidents and her sister distributing aid to flood victims. In the meantime, the young, unmarried Akuol questions whether this country torn by civil war can ever become her home. Using her camera, she begins to look for answers in a search accompanied by fear and doubt, not least when influential men retreat behind closed doors and she is sent away — just like when she was a child. This very personal film provides an insight into a family biography that is intimately connected to the history of a country. (Note adapted from Berlin International Film Festival.) Official Selection, 2022 Berlin, CPH:DOX, San Francisco and African Diaspora International film festivals. DIR/SCR Akuol de Mabior; PROD Sam Soko, Don Edkins, Tiny Mungwe. South Sudan/Kenya/South Africa, 2022, color, 82 min. In English, Dinka and Arabic with English subtitles. NOT RATED
No AFI Member passes accepted.
Run Time: 82 Minutes
Opening Date: Monday, March 27, 2023
Genre: Documentary
