Augure (ENG SUBS)

After eighteen years, Koffi returns to his homeland Congo to introduce his pregnant wife to his family and to pay the traditional bride price. However, the reunion does not go as expected: despite Koffi’s efforts to mend the ties with all his might, he remains a ‘sign of the devil’ for the community. Koffi seems to struggle to break free from his family’s deeply rooted beliefs. Together with other ‘devil’s children’, he decides to engage in a fiery battle to shed this hellish label. “Augure” is a haunting drama about identity, displacement, and the longing for acceptance against the backdrop of a magical-realistic Congo. The feature film debut of Belgian-Congolese multi-talent Baloji was inspired by the weight of his name, which in colonial times acquired the loaded meaning of ‘sorcerer’. In addition to directing and writing the screenplay, Baloji also designed the costumes and recorded four brand-new albums for the film, based on the main characters. The visually stunning result was awarded the New Voice Prize at Cannes and received numerous other international awards.

Sprouts OFFSPRING!
The yearly Sprouts Film Festival, which had its origin at Studio/K in 2022, showcases cinema of the future by focussing on socially critical debut films, and ecocinema; films with a strong environmental focus. Under the banner of Sprouts OFFSPRING we highlight films that could have been included in the festival selection, but were given a regular Dutch release instead. We at Studio/K strongly believe in the power of these imaginative fiction films to disrupt the status quo. The festival’s third edition will be held May 7-12 2024 at Studio/K and MACA | Moving Arts Centre Amsterdam. Want to know more? sproutsfilmfestival.com