Set in Angola in 1961, quarry worker Domingos Xavier is a devoted husband and father who likes to play football with his kids after shifts. The film shows a young couple, very much in love, going about their everyday business. Through conversations with work colleagues, Domingos becomes more politicised, but he avoids telling his wife Maria about his growing resistance to the Portuguese colonial powers. When he is abducted by the secret police, Maria is left in shock. Carrying her baby on her back, she sets off on a seemingly endless journey on foot in search of her husband, determined to save her family.
Sarah Maldoror places the resolute Maria at the centre of the drama, which is based on the novella The True Life of Domingos Xavier, about the brutal treatment of a political prisoner. Maria becomes a symbol of the Angolan people’s emerging consciousness and, in particular, of the pivotal role women played in the revolution. Maldoror brings deep sensitivity to her characters, even the smallest supporting roles – many of which were portrayed by real-life MPLA activists (People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola). In her calm and restrained storytelling style, Maldoror frequently incorporates documentary footage. Sambizanga, named after the Luanda neighbourhood where the uprising against Portuguese rule began, was shot in neighbouring Congo-Brazzaville while Angola’s war of independence was still ongoing.

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