MIOMBO
Cinema from the Heartwood
Miombo is a dedicated screening section within Heartlands Film Festival Africa that showcases grounded, authentic cinema from across South-Central Africa. This section celebrates intimate, character‑driven narratives that explore identity, community, and the nuanced experiences of the African heartlands.
Named after the miombo woodlands that stretch across the region, a resilient, life‑giving ecosystem that sustains communities and stories alike, this section serves as a gathering place for meaningful dialogue and cultural connection through the power of film.
Conversations from the Heartwood
Root & Routes: Southern African Cinema
This talk launches the Root Miombo lab and explores Tshi Malatji's journeys connecting film communities throughout Southern Africa. Tshi is an award-winning film critic and founder of CINEBA, a film collective and independent cinema hub based in Bloemfontein.
RSVP for this talkMaking Mozambique
This festival-closing talk delves into the creative process of crafting Ique Langa's film O Profeta (The Prophet)—shot in luminous black and white, the film follows a pastor in rural Mozambique whose crisis of faith leads him to witchcraft. The conversation also features the release of the film's soundtrack by Mozambican artist TRKZ (Ailton José Matavela).
During this talk, Ique Langa will receive the Pelo ya Rona (Our Heart) Award. Granted annually to an independent African director for the most heartfelt portrayal of the continent and its people, this award champions filmmakers who operate outside commercial constraints to bring experimental and arthouse visions to the screen.
About Ique Langa: Ique Langa is a Mozambican writer-director. His debut feature O Profeta world-premiered in the main competition of the 2026 International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR). His second feature project, Chapa 100, has been selected for Locarno's Open Doors.
RSVP for this talkAs mãos da deusa me moldam
A poetic and sensitive exploration of identity, ancestry, and transformation, celebrating the creative power of women and the connection between body and ceramics.
Director
Carina Ubisse Capitine
Country
Mozambique
Language
Portuguese
Ku Handza
Three stories of everyday survival unfold in Maputo: Benjamin scrambles to fund his son's birthday; Filimone balances family and wartime duties; Eulália returns to work at a landfill just days after giving birth. 'Ku Handza' is a Tsonga expression for a chicken scratching the earth for food.
Director
André Guiomar
Country
Mozambique, Portugal
Language
Portuguese, Tsonga
Technical Specifications
Colour • 76'
Left
In the bustling streets of Harare, a young man's daily struggle for survival is interrupted by an unexpected encounter that forces him to confront his past and reimagine his future. A story of resilience, second chances, and the quiet power of human connection.
Director
Nico Abote
Country
Zimbabwe
Language
English, Shona
MAPUTO, 2024
A digital diary filmed in Mozambique between September and December 2024. Amidst a revolutionary mood, during work, on sleepy beaches surrounded by sand, palm trees and an orange sun. VHS and Capulanas. Tanks and friends. Beer and reflection.
Director
Yaron Noam Volk
Writer
Yaron Noam Volk
Country
Mozambique
Language
German, Portuguese
Technical Specifications
Colour • Digital
Ndjimu
One hundred metres beneath the surface of the earth, a forgotten people live hidden. In the claustrophobic depths of the Mutoshi mine in Katanga, Ndjimu follows The Rememberers—people who extract coveted minerals from ancestral soils to feed global tech empires.
Director
Petna Ndaliko Katondolo
Country
DRC, USA
Technical Specifications
Colour • 31'
Nsala
A silent dialogue between eras: colonial archive footage and contemporary images of a couple working in a mine reveal the persistence of exploitation—of land and of people—in the Katanga region.
Director
Mickael-Sltan Mbanza
Country
Democratic Republic of Congo
Technical Specifications
Black & White
O Feitiço de Areia
A poetic exploration of memory, landscape, and the intangible forces that shape coastal communities. The film weaves together the stories of those who live between the sea and the sand, where the past and present collide in the shifting dunes.
Production
Real Ficção
Country
Mozambique
Language
Portuguese
Submergido
When his brother Amarildo disappears in the Cabo Delgado war, rumours hint he joined the insurgents. Sérgio returns home with the tragic news. As household tension mounts, he senses his 10‑year‑old nephew, Pércio, shares a mysterious link with the missing man.
Director
Ariel Añez
Writer
Ariel Añez
Cast
Dino Cumbane, Eduardo Sambo, António Sitói, Lumina Baptista
Language
Portuguese
Technical Specifications
Colour • DCP 2K
Weight
A young man from Chitungwiza battles substance addiction amid economic hardship and unemployment. The film presents addiction as a deeper social and emotional crisis linked to trauma and limited opportunities.
Director
Nico Abote
Country
Zimbabwe
Cast
Cecilia Kamuputa, Jeffrey Chasi, Robert Chiwawa, Jo-Anne Chido Tenga, Mathias Kurevi
Language
English, Shona