Aya Films has picked up Cannes title Omen (Augure), the directorial debut from Belgium-Congolese rapper, Baloji, from Paris-based Memento International.
A theatrical release is plotted in the UK and Ireland for spring 2024.
The magic realist film will premiere in the UK at BFI London Film Festival this October, following Baloji’s win of the Un Certain Regard – new voice prize at this year’s Cannes.
It centres on a young Congolese man who travels back to his hometown in Kinshasa to reunite with his family and culture, alongside his European fiancée. Complexities abound as four characters’ bring different worlds and perspectives which intersect through chapters in the film, that explores family, relationships, suspicion and belonging.
Omen is produced by Benoit Roland for Belgian outfit Wrong Men, and stars Marc Zinga, Yves-Marina Gnahoua, Marcel Otete Kabeya, Eliane Umuhire and Lucie Debay.
Baloji’s previous credits include short Zombies, that premiered at the 2019 BFI London Film Festival.
“Since my first short film, the UK has been a fantastic audience for my cinema proposition,” said Baloji. “I’m eager to continue an exchange with UK audiences, to share my vision of cinema and to present an imaginary Congolese’s culture and visual identity.”
Aya Films, run by Justine Atkinson, has a track record as a leading distributor of African films in the UK, but is now expanding its slate to encompass a broader range of bold cinema. It has distributed Somali-language film The Gravedigger’s Wife, Kenyan title Rafiki and Sundance award-winning This Is Not A Burial, It’s A Resurrection.
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