Join us for an afternoon screening of Flora Gomes’ Mortu Nega (1988). Flora Gomes’ debut feature is a stirring and thought-provoking meditation on revolution and its effects, following the end and difficult aftermaths of the guerrilla war that brought independence to Guinea-Bissau after a half century of brutal colonial rule under the Portuguese.

Mortu Nega follows the struggle of Diminga (Bia Gomes), the devoted wife of a wounded soldier who joins the fight to be at his side and later, must navigate the emerging bureaucratic state with its clear but ambiguously inflected faction lines. Giving equal emphasis to war as to what comes after, Gomes refuses to romanticize or simplify the complexities of its subject and instead takes a critical appraisal of his country’s independence. Mortu Nega pays moving tribute both to the brave revolutionary soldiers—men and women—who fought and died valiantly, while also offering a model for a critical mode of narrative cinema able to engage and even openly question the myths of nationhood.

Enjoy the film and snacks as part of this series. Come early or stay late to visit our galleries—free admission is included with your ticket!