Two films have claimed the top honors at Locarno’s 2026 Open Doors program, which focuses on African cinema. Ugandan filmmaker Talemwa Pius won a major cash prize for “A Vineyard for a Lobster,” a magical realist work that uses an extraordinary snowfall in a drought-stricken village as the backdrop for exploring political breakdown. The narrative follows three self-interested characters whose competing ambitions threaten to destabilize the community, with the impossible weather event serving as an allegory for colonial interference.
Mohammed Sheikh’s “Accept My Plea for a Burial” also captured a significant award at the Swiss festival. Set in Somalia, the film examines traditional customs through the story of a young boy’s death and the village elder’s struggle to resolve the tragedy using both customary law and religious guidance. Sheikh, a Minnesota-based filmmaker of Somali heritage, crafted what he describes as a morally ambiguous narrative that reflects Somali cultural frameworks rarely seen in cinema.
The festival’s recognition extended beyond these two winners, with all six projects in the Open Doors initiative receiving some form of support or sponsorship. Additional recipients included a Ghanaian music documentary, a Mozambican romance film, a Tanzanian experimental essay, and projects from Burkina Faso, Nigeria, and Ivory Coast. The program distributed prizes encompassing development grants, international awards, and residency opportunities across the selected African filmmakers and producers.
Originally reported by Variety →
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