'Once Upon A Time In Uganda' (2021) Movie Review

If you’re a fan of action movies, you owe it to yourself to dive into the filmography of no-budget Ugandan film studio Wakaliwood. Shot in a slum, with budgets that top out in the hundreds of dollars, mastermind Isaac Nabwana, a former brickmaker, has assembled a beyond-ragtag crew that has pumped out some of the most energetic, entertaining action movies you’ll ever see. The story of how this exists in the first place is even more unlikely than the plots of the movies, and Cathryne Czubek’s documentary Once Upon a Time in Uganda tracks the saga of the wildest action movie studio around.

'The Burial Of Kojo' (2018) Movie Review

The Burial of Kojo begins with the striking image of a VW Beetle, mired on a beach in the tideline, engulphed in flames. With this esoteric picture, writer/director Sam “Blitz” Bazawule sets the mood and crafts a dreamy, lovely piece of allegorical surrealism.

'Five Fingers For Marseilles' Trailer: Check Out This Gritty South African Western

To be honest, most years around this time, I’m bummed I won’t be at the Toronto International Film Festival (or Fantastic Fest for that matter). Money, time, day job, blah, blah, blah. While any number of future awards contenders usually show up at TIFF, it also skews heavily towards the genres and types of grim fare I favor. And this year, holy crap, I really wish I was there to see Five Fingers for Marseilles, a spare, gritty, lovely modern South African western. Check out the trailer below and tell me you’re not into this.

SIFF 2017: 'Wulu' (2016) Movie Review

In Mali in 2007, drug trafficking was a growth industry. It got so bad it ultimately contributed to governmental collapse and a military coup d’etat a few years later. This is the world of Daouda Coulibaly’s debut feature, Wulu, a rags-to-riches crime saga like you won't see anywhere else.

SIFF 2017: 'Bad Black (2016) Movie Review

If you’re not familiar with Wakaliwood, Bad Black is your loud, raucous wakeup call. You need to be watching the insane action movies coming out of Wakaliga, a slum in Kampala, Uganda’s capital city. This shit’ll blow your mind.

'Death Metal Angola' Movie Review: A Quiet Film About A Culture Roaring Back To Life

Angola is a nation on the western coast of southern Africa. Originally occupied by Portugal, battling for independence, which didn’t come until 1975, and then embroiled in a violent civil war that didn’t end until 2002, it’s an embattled country and not the cheeriest of places. But it also happens to be home to a youth underground turning to an unlikely outlet for hope: death metal. If that sounds like a fascinating subject worth exploring, you’re not alone, and it’s the topic of Jeremy Xido’s excellent new documentary Death Metal Angola.

Watch This Trailer For Nigerian Zombie Thriller 'Ojuju'

Zombies may be all over American popular culture, from hit TV shows like The Walking Dead to goddamn Starburst and Hyundai commercials, but the undead aren’t our sole property. From Wild Zero to Remington and the Curse of the Zombadings, they’re worldwide, including Nigeria. And in that spirit, check out this trailer for C.J. Obasi’s Ojuju.