The Burial of Kojo

The Burial of Kojo
Theatrical release poster
Theatrical release poster
Directed byBlitz Bazawule
Written byBlitz Bazawule[1]
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyMichael Fernandez[1]
Edited byKwaku Obeng Boateng[1]
Music byBlitz Bazawule[1]
Production
companies
  • Wheel Barrow Productions
  • Africa Film Society[1]
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 21 September 2018 (2018-09-21) (New York)
  • 31 March 2019 (2019-03-31)
Running time
80 minutes[1]
CountryGhana
Languages

The Burial of Kojo is a 2018 Ghanaian drama film written, composed and directed by Blitz Bazawule. Produced by Bazawule, Ama K. Abebrese and Kwaku Obeng Boateng,[5][6] it was filmed entirely in Ghana on a micro-budget, with local crew and several first-time actors.[7] The film tells the story of Kojo, who is left to die in an abandoned gold mine, as his young daughter Esi travels through a spirit land to save him.

It had its world premiere in New York on 21 September 2018, at the Urban World Film Festival,[8][9] where it was recognized as Best Narrative Feature (World Cinema).[10] The film received nine nominations at the 15th Africa Movie Academy Awards and won two, including Best First Feature Film by a Director.[11] It is distributed by ARRAY and was released on streaming service Netflix on 31 March 2019,[3][4] making it the first Ghanaian film to premiere in selected countries worldwide, on Netflix.[12][8][13]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i DeFore, John (2019-03-29). "'The Burial of Kojo': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2019-04-01.
  2. ^ "Ghanaian-produced movie to make Netflix debut in March". 18 February 2019.
  3. ^ a b c Ramos, Dino-Ray (2019-02-15). "Ava DuVernay's ARRAY Acquires Surreal Drama 'The Burial Of Kojo', Sets Netflix Premiere Date". Deadline. Retrieved 2019-04-01.
  4. ^ a b Tetteh, Nii Okai (2019-02-17). "Award Winning Ghanaian Film "The Burial Of Kojo" Is Set To Be Released On Netflix This March". Retrieved 2019-04-01.
  5. ^ "Magical realism in Accra". africasacountry.com. 13 February 2019. Retrieved 2019-04-28.
  6. ^ "Ghanaian-produced movie to make Netflix debut in March". Face2Face Africa. 2019-02-18. Retrieved 2019-04-28.
  7. ^ D'Arcy, Patrick (2017-10-25). "Behind-the-scenes of The Burial of Kojo — a dazzling new film shot in Ghana". TEDFellows. Retrieved 2019-04-11.
  8. ^ a b Tetteh, Nii Okai (2018-08-30). "NEWSBlitz The Ambassador's 'The Burial Of Kojo' Gets World Wide Premiere At The Urban World Film Festival In New York". Kuulpeeps. Retrieved 2019-04-11.
  9. ^ "Exclusive: Blitz Bazawule Challenges Hollywood's Africa Narrative With Magical Realist 'The Burial Of Kojo'". Shadow and Act. 2018-09-21. Retrieved 2019-04-12.
  10. ^ Wilson, Tejah (2018-09-24). "Urbanworld 2018 Film Review: 'The Burial of Kojo'". BlackGirldNerds. Retrieved 2019-04-11.
  11. ^ "Sola Sobowale, Adesua Etomi win at 2019 AMAA [FULL LIST]". Punch Newspapers. 28 October 2019. Retrieved 2020-06-01.
  12. ^ Gragau, Maulline (2019-03-26). "Ghanaian-Produced Movie, The Burial of Kojo, Wins Award at Luxor African Film Festival". The African Exponent. Retrieved 2019-04-01.
  13. ^ Udodiong, Inemesit (19 February 2019). "The Burial Of Kojo: Here is what you need to know about Netflix's next original African movie". Business Insider. Retrieved 14 April 2019.