Omen (2024)
Director: Baloji Tshiani Run Time: 90 min. Release Year: 2023
Starring: Eliane Umuhire, Lucie Debay, Marc Zinga, Marcel Otete Kabeya, Yves-Marina Gnahoua
Country: Belgium, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Netherlands, France, Germany, South Africa
Language: French, Swahili, Lingala, English
About the film:
Winner of Un Certain Regard – New Voice Prize at Cannes Film Festival. Belgium’s official submission for Best International Feature at the 2024 Academy Awards.
After spending years in Belgium, Koffi (Marc Zinga), a young Congolese man, returns to his birthplace of Kinshasa to confront his family and homeland culture. Secrecy and sorcery erupt when a nosebleed is mistaken for a curse, and Koffi is shunned from his family. Using magical realism to paint a portrait of “undesirables” and “sorcerers,” Omen (2024) delves into the intricacies of identity, culture, and belief systems through a deeply rich and visually captivating lens.
“Kinetic and full of promise.”
—Lovia Gyarkye, Hollywood Reporter
About the filmmaker:
Baloji is an award-winning director born in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo and currently based in Belgium. He has directed three short films including Zombies (2019), and his debut feature film, Omen (2024) premiered at Cannes where it won the Un Certain Regard New Voice Prize. The film was selected as Belgium’s official entry for Best International Feature at the 2024 Academy Awards. In addition to being a filmmaker, Baloji is also a musician, fashion designer and visual artist.
See our upcoming films