Our Lady of the Nile

Rwanda, 1973. Veronica and Virginia are inseparable friends in an elite Catholic boarding school, Our Lady of the Nile. As Tutsis, they’re part of a small minority in a predominantly Hutu environment. Months before graduation, the students’ lives are rocked by the venomous atmosphere that clouds the country. What comes first, sisterhood or politics?

Adapted from the prize-winnning, semi-autobiographical novel by Scholastique Mukasonga, this was the third feature by Afghan director Atiq Rahmani (Earth and Ashes; The Patience Stone).

Screening in our African Cinema Now! series curated by the Akojo Collective.

Rahimi’s film is a heart-breaking look at the corruption of innocence: breathtaking cinematography and a sprightly jazz-infused score bring out how sweet that innocence was, so it’s all the more devastating to see it cruelly snatched away.

Orla Smith, Seventh Row

A beautiful and disturbing work of cinema.

Soraya Nadia McDonald, Andscape

Frightening… strangely captivating, this is an unusual history lesson shot with verve and laced with violence.

Lisa Nesselson, Screen Daily

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