As a follower and admirer of Lemohang Mosese‘s work, I find his journey to be nothing short of remarkable. Born and raised in Lesotho, a place where violence was an everyday reality, he managed not only to survive but also to thrive as a filmmaker. His latest project, “Ancestral Visions of the Future,” promises to be a deeply personal exploration of identity, childhood, death, and exile – themes that resonate profoundly with his life experiences.
The award-winning filmmaker Lemohang Mosese is currently in post-production for his fourth movie titled “Ancestral Visions of the Future.” This work will be showcased during the final editing stage workshop, Final Cut pics-in-post, which is specifically designed for films originating from Africa and the Arab world, at the Venice Production Bridge.
The movie is portrayed as a “deeply personal examination of identity, childhood, death, and exile, viewed from different perspectives including those of a puppet master, a mother, a boy, a farmer, and a city dweller.” Positioned as an “allegorical essay,” it revolves around a puppeteer in a nameless African town’s marketplace who encourages the locals to reconnect with their ancestral traditions.
A herbalist, a spiritual leader, and once thought to be a prophet, this puppeteer speaks wisdom to the villagers, teaching them about the beauty of life and personal growth, as Mosese explained to EbMaster. He desires to extend their lives, for he strongly believes that human life is incredibly valuable yet tragically brief – they have such limited time to rectify the errors of those who came before.
“Yet, the city turns unkind towards him. Much like others, it imposes a burden on them, squeezing them mercilessly beneath its weight.”
In my perspective, “Ancestral Visions” stands as my most personally-rooted film up until now, a venture to piece together something complete from the scattered remnants of my past memories. I’d liken it to how I process thoughts, and it’s the most intimate portrayal yet of my life, encompassing the true incidents that transpired during my childhood.
Mosese grew up in Lesotho, a compact, hilly Southern African kingdom that boasts one of the world’s highest murder rates. As a child, he was frequently exposed to violence, which was an unfortunate part of daily existence. Tragically, his family was evicted from their home at a young age, compelling them to move to the outskirts of Hlotse. This relocation marked the first instance where Mosese felt disconnected from a specific place, something he vividly remembers at 44 years old.
Living in Berlin for several years now, Mosese has grappled with the concept of exile in both his professional and personal experiences. “I’ve always yearned to reach a destination of returning,” he expresses. “I’ve often felt like a traveler, never thinking I would settle down in Germany.” He adds, “My mind has always wandered…thinking that someday I’ll return, go back to a place – my home. I’m going to this enchanting location.”
A year ago, during a long stint of traveling and introspection, he was unexpectedly snapped out of his state at a café in Berlin. This transformation occurred when he saw a disheveled African man passionately speaking in his native language. For Mosese, it felt almost surreal, like being outside his own body.
“In that instant, I experienced a profound sense of reflection. It seemed as though my past – living here and living there – suddenly intersected. Our lives, yours and mine, intersected,” he explains. “The unique aspect was that I wasn’t destitute. Instead, I was sipping cappuccino and enjoying a croissant. However, in that moment, our paths crossed. And for the first time, I truly empathized with you.”
In that instant, Mosese understood that the thought of returning home had always been an illusion, not his true goal. It was merely a delusion that helped him persevere through hardships. It served as a beacon during his struggles in Europe, as he longed for the day he could go back. However, at that point, he began to comprehend that this imagined haven existed only within his mind.
That unexpected insight sparked a chain of queries compelling him to reflect on his past and the homeland he abandoned via cinema, pondering: “Could the place I departed from have been so terrible? What drove me away? What sacrifices were involved?”
“Five years after Mosese’s debut on the international festival circuit with his second feature, ‘Mother, I Am Suffocating. This Is My Last Film About You,’ Agat Films, in collaboration with Mokaoari Street Media and Seera Films, presents the film ‘Ancestral Visions.’ This poignant docufiction, which premiered at Berlinale’s Forum section in 2019, delved into the filmmaker’s exile from Lesotho.”
The upcoming movie titled “This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection” was first shown in the international competition at the Sundance Film Festival in 2020. This beautifully composed and almost mythical story revolves around an 80-year-old widow whose community faces forced relocation to make way for a dam construction. The film received special recognition for its innovative filmmaking, winning the award for “visionary filmmaking.”
According to critic Guy Lodge’s ecstatic review for EbMaster, this movie was described as a unique, myth-inspired, avant-garde tale from Southern Africa, which seldom makes it onto the international festival circuit. Remarkably, it turned out to be the inaugural Lesotho submission in the race for the Best International Feature Film Oscar.
Mosese acknowledges his mother as the inspiration behind “Ancestral Visions,” stating that she helped him persevere through a challenging childhood, when he recalls others warning him that he would either end up dead or in jail. Despite their family being evicted, his mother remained optimistic, encouraging them with the words: “This is only temporary. I’m going to create something for you all.”
“Mosese states, ‘The belief in dreams, the faith I hold, stems from my mother.’ Growing up in Lesotho, it sometimes feels as if one must be dreamer or optimist to think they can succeed in the film industry.”
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2024-08-13 11:49