Augure
Enchanting feature debut by musician, actor, fashion designer and filmmaker Baloji about the fortunes of four characters accused of witchcraft and sorcery in Congo.
In this energetic and empathetic group portrait, Baloji explores the weight of Congolese belief systems on the fate of four characters accused of being witches and sorcerers. The beginning of the film coincides with a return: Koffi decides to go back to his homeland to introduce his pregnant wife to his family. More than an uplifting reunion, the meeting turns out to be a hellish experience.
Baloji's characters, carrying labels that exclude them from society, must confront traumas deeply rooted not only in their personal and family pasts, but also in Congo's wider, fragmented history. It is no coincidence that witchcraft is a major source of inspiration in Baloji’s work. In Swahili, his name first meant ‘man of science’, but in colonial times it changed to ‘man of occult sciences/witchcraft’. For the Belgian-Congolese filmmaker, his loaded name is both a burden and a driving force for his art. AUGURE fully embodies that duality and reinforces it through its choices in terms of costumes, soundtrack and editing. Blending genres, Baloji creates a phantasmagorical scenes of mesmerising beauty that make AUGURE a more than memorable debut. (source: Film Fest Gent)