
0 hours 30 minutes | Rated TBC
A young man is sent to “La Maca,” a prison in the middle of the Ivorian forest ruled by its inmates. As tradition goes with the rising of the red moon, he is designated by the Boss to be the new “Roman” and must tell a story to the other prisoners. Learning what fate awaits him, he begins to narrate the mystical life of the legendary outlaw named “Zama King” and has no choice but to make his story last until dawn.
Review.
It is perhaps too short to fully explore the themes it raises, or even to fully explain them for a wide audience. But when the prisoners fall under the story’s spell, it’s magical stuff. Deadline Hollywood Daily
This is a film steeped in myth and ritual, besotted with secrets, history, and imagination — with a clear eye on the Ivory Coast’s politics. Rolling Stone
It’s a transcendent love song to the magnificence of storytelling – how words can create a legend and also soothe, heal and, in some cases, save lives. San Jose Mercury News
Lacôte is a master at staging hectic crowd scenes in which chaos suddenly arranges itself into patterns, connections, and poetry. Boston Globe
In capturing and preserving a long-standing oral tradition, he has arrived at both a persuasive vision of the past and a hopeful glimpse of the future. Like all good storytellers, he leaves you wanting more. Los Angeles Times
This is such a beautiful and strange movie. FilmWeek (KPCC – NPR Los Angeles)