TORONTO: A new film about the true story of an African king and white British woman whose marriage triggered a political crisis is first and foremost a love story, its star and director said.
“A United Kingdom” stars British actor David Oyelowo as Seretse Khama, a tribal king who would go on to become the first president of Botswana.
The movie depicts the early years of his marriage to Ruth Williams, portrayed by “Gone Girl” actress Rosamund Pike, an English office worker and fellow jazz lover he met while studying in Britain in the 1940s.
The two defied convention, prejudice and opposition from both their families to marry. They then became targets of broader political intrigue, as the South African government pressured Britain to ensure Khama never returned to rule.
“The thing that becomes very obvious as you start researching them is the fact that love, love was the thing that conquered everything, all of that opposition, all of those challenges,” Oyelowo told Reuters on the red carpet.
British director Amma Asante, who also made the 2013 period drama “Belle,” said she wanted to make the film because it involved the two continents that shaped who she is.
“As a child of African parents who grew up in a colony that become independent, I realized what mattered, and I wanted to be able to tell that story through my gaze,” she said.
The Khamas’ marriage continues to resonate in African politics. Their son Ian Khama became Botswana’s fourth president in 2008.
The movie received an extended standing ovation after its screening in Toronto, with both Oyelowo and Asante coming close to tears.
“A United Kingdom” was one of several true-life tales exploring race at this year’s Toronto film festival, against a backdrop of heightened racial tension in the United States.
Asante said she hoped for a time when issues of race were of “no consequence whatsoever.”
“Right now, areas of race are still taboo,” she said. “And until it isn’t any more, we have to keep telling these stories.”
'A United Kingdom' a tale of love defying prejudice
'A United Kingdom' a tale of love defying prejudice
Turkish-language drama ‘Yellow Letters’ wins Berlin Film Festival’s top prize
- The report did not say who was to blame for the attacks
BERLIN: “Yellow Letters,” a Turkish-language drama about what happens to a marriage put under extraordinary political pressure, won the Berlin Film Festival’s Golden Bear top prize on Saturday night.
The drama filmed in Germany but set in Turkiye follows a married actor and playwright who have to leave behind their comfortable lives after the husband is targeted by the state for posting critical content online.
“I know what (this win) means to my cast and crew who came from Turkiye, who now are getting a visibility that is on an international scale,” Turkish-German director Ilker Catak told Reuters after the award ceremony.
The director, whose previous Berlin entry “The Teachers’ Lounge” was nominated for an Oscar, said it was important that the film was not just about Turkiye, but Germany as well.
“There is a sign that says 1933 and what we’ve seen in this country before, we must never forget,” he said, referring to the year that Adolf Hitler came to power.
This year’s jury president, legendary German director Wim Wenders, praised the winner as “a movie that speaks up very clearly about the political language of totalitarianism.”
In total, 22 films had been in the running.
POLITICAL FESTIVAL
The festival maintained its reputation as the most overtly political of its peers, Venice and Cannes, with the war in Gaza in particular dominating public discussions about the films.
“If this Berlinale has been emotionally charged, that’s not a failure of the Berlinale, and it’s not a failure of cinema,” said festival director Tricia Tuttle at the opening ceremony, using the festival’s nickname.
Wenders used his final appearance as jury president to urge filmmakers and activists to act as allies, not rivals, after his comment that filmmakers should not be political caused Indian novelist Arundhati Roy to pull out.
Several award winners used their speech to express solidarity with the Palestinians and other oppressed peoples.
“The least we can do here is to break the silence and remind them that they are not really alone,” said Turkish filmmaker Emin Alper, whose film “Salvation” took the second-place Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize.
Palestinian-Syrian director Abdallah Al-Khatib, whose “Chronicles From the Siege” won the Perspectives section for emerging filmmakers, criticized the German government for its stance on Gaza despite concerns about crossing a red line.
“I was under a lot of pressure to participate in Berlinale for one reason only, to stand here and say: ‘The Palestinians will be free,’” he said.
SANDRA HUELLER WINS AGAIN
German actor Sandra Hueller, who starred in 2024 Oscar-winning films “Anatomy of a Fall” and “Zone of Interest,” continued her winning streak by taking home best actor for the period piece “Rose,” in which she dresses as a man.
“To me, it’s special because I won my first-ever recognition as an actor in a film at this festival 20 years ago,” Hueller told Reuters, who won best actress in 2006 for “Requiem.”
“Queen at Sea,” a drama that follows French star Juliette Binoche as she deals with her mother’s advanced dementia and its effects on her marriage, won two prizes: the third-place jury prize and best supporting actor, shared by its two elderly performers, Anna Calder-Marshall and Tom Courtenay.
Director Lance Hammer, who last competed at the festival in 2008, said he hoped that maybe “people will see this and feel some comfort or relief that they’re not alone.”
Director Grant Gee won best director for “Everybody Digs Bill Evans,” a black-and-white biographical drama starring Norwegian actor Anders Danielsen Lie as the US jazz pianist.
“Nina Roza,” about an art curator who returns to Bulgaria to verify whether a child painting prodigy is genuine, won best screenplay while “Yo (Love is a Rebellious Bird)” took the prize for outstanding artistic contribution.
