April 11, 2024

Upcoming Third World Country Films to Look Out For

The rise in productions from third world countries is pushing forward the resurgence of global cinema. At the same time, these films are gaining global attention and acclaim at prestigious festivals. By Ching Wai.

There has been a resurgence in global cinema in the past couple of years after the global pandemic, mainly driven by films in India, Japan, Türkiye, and Spain. In 2022, India had topped the charts for film production, surpassing the U.S.. Mexico, Argentina, Türkiye, Brazil, the Russian Federation, the Philippines and Iran all entered the top 20 film producing economies worldwide in 2022 as well, while Morocco took the 45th position. With the global scene rising, let us take a look at some ongoing and upcoming productions of and by third world countries.

1. War On Nature (2024)

The 10-episode long documentary series was first aired on Youtube on 29 February this year. Created and launched by Global Conversation, War on Nature depicts the destruction of the world’s last intact forests, marine ecosystems, and endangered species, following Global Conversation’s efforts to protect them. The short films focus on regions including Uganda, Sumatra, Panama, Georgia, Zimbabwe, and Borneo.

2. The Keepsake (2024)

The 32 minute long short documentary film by Adaeze Elechi follows the emotional journey of 14 year old Amarachi and her mother Ikechi in Nigeria. The film is in Igbo and English, and English subtitles are available. The short film is distributed by ThirdWorldNewsreel (twn), and can be acquired for educational purposes or festival programmes for 50 to 600 USD.

3. Maidaan (2024)

The Hindi biographical sports drama film is set to debut in theatres on 10 April, during the Eid weekend. Written and directed by Amit Ravindernath Sharma and produced by Boney Kapoor and Zee Studios, Maidaan follows the story of Syed Abdul Rahim, a pioneering football coach in India between 1952 and 1962, as he led the Indian Football Team and revolutionised the sport in the country. The film is distributed by Zee Studios.

4. Kalki 2898 AD (2024)

The Indian epic science-fiction dystopian film is set to be released in theatres worldwide on 9 May this year, in Telugu and Hindi, and dubbed in Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and English. The film is directed by Nag Ashwin, produced by C. Aswani Dutt under Vyjayanthi Movies, and distributed by AA Films. With a budget of 6 billion INR (75 million USD), Kalki 2898 AD is the most expensive Indian film ever made, as of the time of writing. The film was also presented at San Diego Comic-Con’s highly regarded “Hall-H” on 20 July last year, the first Indian film to do so.

5. Kadib Abyad or The Mother of All Lies (2023)

This Arabic-language documentary film is a co-production between Morocco, Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. Directed, written, produced and edited by Moroccan film director, screenwriter and producer Asmae El Moudir, Kadib Abyad took eight years to complete. It premiered globally on 24 May 2023 at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Un Certain Regard Best Director award. Autlook Filmsales handle the film’s international sales.

As films from third world countries rise not only in numbers but also prestige, perhaps audiences will continue to grow to appreciate the value and voices of film outside of entertainment and capital.

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