Directed by:
Mika KaurismäkiComposer:
Miriam MakebaCast:
Miriam Makeba (a.f.), Harry Belafonte (a.f.), Lorraine Gordon, Kathleen Cleaver, Leopoldo Fleming, Angélique Kidjo, Abigail Kubeka, Zenzile Monique Lee (more)Plots(1)
Mika Kaurismäki's documentary about world-famous South African singer Miriam Makeba, who spent half a century travelling the world spreading her political message to fight racism, poverty and promote justice and peace, is a tribute to a woman who embodied the hopes and the voice of Africa as no other.
Miriam Makeba (1932-2008) was an inspiration to musicians all over the world and a delight for international audiences. Nonetheless she remained true to her South African musical roots. Forced into early exile in 1959 as a result of her involvement in the documentary indictment of Apartheid COME BACK, AFRICA, Harry Belafonte helped her to gain entry to the USA where in 1962 she appeared at John F. Kennedy's birthday party among other venues, and scored her first international hit with 'Pata Pata'. Finding herself in the sights of the FBI following her marriage to Black Panther activist Stokely Carmichael in 1968, she decided to settle in Guinea where she continued to fight the white Apartheid regime in her native land.
Making use of rare documentary footage and a plethora of interviews, this film portrays the life of this exceptional artiste and her music; a performer who, for more that fifty years, never failed to created a stir wherever she went. The film includes testimonials from friends, relatives and colleagues – both young proponents of African music as well as those who have known and cherished Miriam Makeba since her earliest beginnings in the dance halls of Cape Town.
(Berlinale)
Cast
Miriam Makeba (a.f.)
South Africa
Best movies:
Sarafina ! (1992)
Amok (1982)
Harry Belafonte (a.f.)
USA
Best movies:
BlacKkKlansman (2018)
Bobby (2006)
The Player (1992)
Lorraine Gordon
USA
Kathleen Cleaver
USA
Best movies:
Zabriskie Point (1970)
Angélique Kidjo
Benin
Best movies:
The Woman King (2022)
Abigail Kubeka
Best movies:
Cry, the Beloved Country (1995)
The Long Run (2001)
Love on Safari (2018) (TV movie)
Nelson Mandela (a.f.)
South Africa
Best movies:
Enya: The Video Collection (2001) (music video) - a.f.
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (2013) - a.f.
Malcolm X (1992)
Hugh Masekela
South Africa
Best movies:
A Dry White Season (1989)
Dorothy Masuka
Zimbabwe
Paul Simon (a.f.)
USA
Best movies:
Annie Hall (1977)
The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash (1978) (TV movie)
The Great Buck Howard (2008)