White Shadow (2013)

The story of Alias, a young Albino on the run, hunted by local witch doctors who use Albinos body parts for their potions.

Director:

Noaz Deshe

Writers:

Noaz Deshe, James Masson

Stars:

Hamisi Bazili, James Gayo, Glory Mbayuwayu

10 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Hamisi Bazili	...	Alias
James Gayo	...	Kosmos
Glory Mbayuwayu	...	Antoinette
Salum Abdallah	...	Salum
Riziki Ally	...	Mother
John S. Mwakipunda	...	Anulla
Tito D. Ntanga	...	Father
James P. Salala	...	Adin

Storyline

The story of Alias, a young Albino on the run, hunted by local witch doctors who use Albinos body parts for their potions.

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Plot Keywords:

albino | death | underwater scene | urination | night | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

PG-13

User Reviews

Intriguing, not perfectly fulfilled

White Shadow is a vérité style depiction of Alias, a young albino growing up in the outskirts of an unnamed city in Tanzania. The primary conflict is that as an albino, Alias is the prey of witch doctors, who cut up albinos and use them for outlandish potions and mysticism. His journey shows us all sorts of elements of a world that is completely foreign to us, but remains wholly individual and never tries to be the definitive "Africa story" that would be an easy route to take. Because of the film's looser style, it requires extra attention from the viewer and doesn't have a clear through line, but is compelling because of how otherworldly it feels. There isn't a big takeaway or call to action, but the film's expose cannot help but leave a mark. There are a few incredible sequences, including a betting scene and a sequence where the protagonists are digging through e-waste looking for salvageable electronics, but the collective whole still feels looser than it needs to be, and the stylistic elements of the film are not employed often enough to be the focus of the movie. White Shadow will most likely not be playing in US theaters anytime soon due to a depiction of animal cruelty that probably wasn't fake (although is rather tame compared to any day at a US meat factory). However, as a festival film, it is intriguing and unlike anything else you will see, and for that alone it may be worth your time.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Tanzania Germany Italy

Language:

Swahili

Release Date:

23 January 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

White Shadow

Filming Locations:

Tanzania

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,522

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shadoworks, Alliance Française Dar es Salaam, Asmara Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1