Against the backdrop of the civil war in Rwanda, two like-minded people find each other in their escape from violence through technology and dreams: Matalusa, who has escaped from the exploitative coltan mining colony that cost his brother his life, and Neptune, an intersex hacker seeking refuge in her parents' home. Together, the two outsiders find refuge from the authoritarian regime in a hacker collective that wants to free the world from the shackles of enslavement. In their struggle between good and evil, they glide between reality and dream through a post-colonial, post-digital landscape dominated by myths and poetry.
With its mixture of Swahili, English, French and Kirundi, Neptune Frost proves to be a collective film par excellence and marks the feature film debut of poet, musician and artist Saul Williams and actress and screenwriter Anisia Uzeyman. Their collaboration with Rwandan designer Cedric Mizero has produced an Afrofuturistic sci-fi musical in which visual and cerebral hybridity meets cinematic and gender fluidity. Neptune Frost is a celebratory and reactionary work that reclaims black and queer identity from the margins exploited by capitalism and makes a plea for the revolution of the mind and the (social) body. Andrei Tănăsescu
DIRECTORS
-
-
Anisia Uzeyman
Anisia Uzeyman is an actress, playwright and director. She was born in Rwanda and studied acting at the School of Theater in France. Her directorial debut Dreamstates was shot entirely with iPhones and starred Saul Williams, William Nadylam and Beau Sia. The film premiered at LAFF in 2016. She has also directed numerous music videos. As an actress, Anisia has appeared in the award-winning film Aujourd'hui-TEY, in which she met Saul Williams, and in the feature film Ayiti Mon Amour by Guetty Felin, which premiered at TIFF 2017, among others. Her first book, a poetic adaptation of her original screenplay Saolomea, Saolomea will be published this fall by Not a Cult.
DIRECTORS
-
-
Saul Williams
Saul Williams is an American poet, musician and actor. He made his acting debut in the film Slam by Marc Levin, which he co-wrote. The film won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and the Camera D'Or at Cannes in 1998. Saul was the first African-American to win Best Actor at the festival. TEY was also awarded the City Prize in Venice. In 2014, Saul made his Broadway debut as the lead in Holler If Ya Hear Me, based on the lyrics of Tupac Shakur. Saul has published five books of poetry, which have been translated into several languages. As a musician, Saul has released six albums and has toured and collaborated with artists including: Kanye West, Nas, Janelle Monae, Nine Inch Nails, Rage Against The Machine, The Roots, Mos Def, Allen Ginsburg, Amiri Baraka, Gil Scott-Heron, TV On The Radio, Blackalicious and Erykah Badu.
