Kriol Film Festival Rotterdam

Join us on 12 November 2023 at Theater Zuidplein for the first edition of the Kriol Film Festival Rotterdam, in collaboration with IFFR. A day of films, music, entertainment and culinary delight will celebrate Cape Verde and Cape Verdeans worldwide, with a focus on reflection, sharing, and deepening knowledge. Take a look at the films screening, and book your tickets now. 

Kmêdeus (2020) by Nuno Miranda

The intriguing story of a mysterious homeless man called Kmêdeus (EatGod) who lived on the island of São Vicente, Cabo Verde, based on a performance by African contemporary dancer António Tavares. A trip through Mindelo, its music, cinema and carnival. 

Mourning of the Sea (2016) by Miguel Peres Dos Santos

This film was shot at Cidade Velha in Cape Verde, Europe’s first colonial settlement for the slave trade. It echoes the deep sadness of the past. Repeating the poem Um r’bêra pa mar by Ovídio Martins (1928–1999), it lingers between what is remembered and what remains of memory. 

Tarrafal (2007) by Pedro Costa

Pedro Costa returns to the Cape Verde island of Fogo where he filmed Casa de lava, to look at at the Tarrafal prison, built in 1936, where for nearly 40 years opponents of Salazar's dictatorial regime were tortured and killed.

Vitalina Varela (2019) by Pedro Costa 

Vitalina travels from her native Cape Verde in the footsteps of her recently deceased partner, ending up in the pitch-black vacuum of life for Portuguese immigrants. This Golden Leopard winner at Locarno is stunningly stylised by Pedro Costa, who isolates his characters in the darkness using a 4:3 ratio and bright spotlights.

Get your tickets via Kriol Film Festival