Shot in Mozambique, the film depicts the life of an orphan boy, Nelio - impressively played by Sérgios Titos - whose parents were killed by guerrillas. Forced to live his village, he finds himself in an unnamed city where his magical powers make him the leader of a gang of homeless kids. This violent, yet mythic coming-of-age story is based on a novel by the popular Swedish writer Henning Mankell.



Sweden/Mozambique, 1997, 92mins, drama, Portuguese with English sub., Solveig Nordlund, dir.



AWARDS
Grand Prix Cannes Junior; Prix Fiction du Festival du Film dAfrique et des Iles au monde, Ile de la Reunion (Fr); Prix de la Ville de Sainte Foy-lès-Lyon France; Prix Graine de Cinéphage at Festival de Films de Femmes Créteil, France; Prix CineJunior, Paris-Val de Marne; Prix du Jury International Figueira da Foz


FESTIVALS
Roterdam International Film Festival, Seattle, Vancouver, Créteil, Edinburgh, Mar del Plata, London, Hamburg, Galway, Cine-Junior Paris, Cannes Junior, Gothenburg, N.Y., Portland, Nürnberg, Le Port, Ile de la Réunion

Distributor: MARFILMES (www.marfilmes.com)