NDOTO YA SAMIRA (Samira’s dream), released in 2020, is a long feature film documentary (88’) set in the island of Zanziba produced and directed by Nino Tropiano.
It follows seven years of the life of Samira, a young woman from the small fishing village of Nungwi in the north of Zanzibar.
The movie is a very honest portrait of a strong independent woman who finds in education the way to break free from the role imposed by a conservative society.
It is the first full-length movie in Swahili and that represents an amazing achievement for a non African production.
Nino Tropiano’s directing style is confident and dry leaving the stage to the real protagonists: the story fully revolves around the actual everyday life of Samira presented with documentary accuracy and artistic insightful talent.
Samira does not want to be an outcast, she wants to be a fully accomplished woman as a mother, a wife, a member of her society and yet claiming her right to be a teacher and a model for her daughters and all oppressed women.
Nino Tropiano treats the matter with elegance and discretion: there is no dramatization of the events and the characters and no pietism. The movie bravely displays the life of Samira and her circle in the full range of its aspects: sexist rooted traditions, strong family bounds, lack of opportunities, naïve purity of soul, poverty and breathtaking landscapes.
NDOTO YA SAMIRA has an educational empowering message of hope, perseverance and emancipation.
It is the inspirational story of a strong everyday hero who believes in herself, takes a challenge, stands up again after every fall and finally succeeds thus becoming the woman she always dreamt to be.
Nino Tropiano
NINO TROPIANO is a Director and Producer from Monopoli, Italy.
Nino Tropiano worked in theatre in Dublin. Employed as still photographer, he later graduated in film direction and production in Ireland at the National Film School (IADT) with the award-winning documentary “MY DAUGHTER DOES MADONNA”, distributed by GA&A (Rome).
“CHIPPERS”: Special Mention at the Italian Documentary Festival “Hai visto mai?”.
The technical crew:
Co-Producers: Veronique Vergari / Agnes Boutruche
Awards and Festivals:
NDOTO YA SAMIRA / SAMIRA’S DREAM was awarded the best documentary at the MATERA FILM FESTIVAL (September 2020)
- ZANZIBAR FILM FESTIVAL (Preview Screening)
- RIFF AWARDS (Rome Independent Film Festival)
- PAN AFRICAN FILM & ARTS FESTIVAL (Los Angeles, USA)
- MESSAPICA FILM FESTIVAL (19-23 August 2020);
- IFI DOCUMENTARY FESTIVAL (Dublin, Ireland /September 2020);
- SOCIAL WORLD FILM FESTIVAL (Vico Equense, October 2020);
- Rassegna di cinema QUI E ALTROVE – Rome, Italy;
- LA CITTA DELLE DONNE (Festival season, Rome, Italy);
- MYART FILM FESTIVAL (December 2020)
- FOGGIA FILM FESTIVAL (February, 2021);
- SOCIALLY RELEVANT FILM FESTIVAL (NEW YORK, MANHATTAN – 14-21 March 2021);
- FESCAAAL ( Festival Cinema Africano, Asia e America Latina – Milan, 21-28 March 2021);
- LA SEMAINE DU CINEMA DU CAMERUN (APRIL 2021);
- AUGEN BLICKE AFRIKA (Hamburg, Germany, 4/7 Nov 2021);
- CANNES FILM FESTIVAL – Special screening at PAVILLION AFRIQUE OFFICIEL- (May 2020, postponed to July 2021);
- Cinema L’Arlequin (Paris / July, 2021)
- SUDESTIVAL ( Monopoli Italy / June 2021)
