Leila Djansi’s Sinking Sands Listed On CNN Among 10 Must-See African Films

Leila Djansi on set

Peace Anyiam-Osigwe, CEO and founder of the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) has mentioned Ghanaian filmmaker; Leila Djansi’s Sind Sands among a list of top must-see African movies of the 21st Century.
Among hundreds of Ghanaian films produced over the years, Sinking Sands was the only Ghanaian film that made it on the list.
CNN quoted Peace for saying, “It’s hard for me to choose the greatest African films of the 21st century as the genres and styles of African cinema have evolved in a big way over the past 20 years or so. Movie makers are now showing a more vibrant Africa than the Francophone filmmakers did before them. I have chosen films that I loved watching and feel that they are a representative of what is out there in African cinema -- the rich mix and melting pot that is African cinema today.”
Sinking Sands was third on her list after mentioning “From a Whisper, a 2009 Kenyan movie directed by Wanuri Kahiu and 2010 DR. Congolese movie, Viva Riva directed by Djo Munga.
“This film deals with domestic violence, but based on the personal journey of a man disfigured in an accident, which makes him turn against his wife. Ama K. Abebrese, who plays the wife, made this film for me and she won Best Actress at the African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) for it, but I felt that director Leila Djansi made the film engage with the audience in an emotional way, showing not just the rawness of domestic violence, but taking us through a range of pain and forgiveness. The film also depicts how women can immerse themselves in guilt and force themselves to feel like the guilty party. Actors Jimmy Jean-Louis and Abebrese made this film a must watch and Djansi chose the right cast to make her directing look beautiful. The camera work on this film was excellent -- a bit dark and grainy, but one thing is for sure: you cannot watch “Sinking Sands” and not be affected,” she was quoted to have said about Sinking Sands.
The rest of the films she mentioned were, “Mwansa The Great directed by Rungano Nyoni, (Zambia 2011), Moolaade – directed by Ousmane Sembene, (Senegal, 2004), Otelo Burning – directed by Sara Blecher, (South Africa, 2011) Benda Bilili directed by Renaud Barret, Florent de La Tullaye, (DR Congo/France, 2010), Irapada directed by Kunle Afolayan, (Nigeria, 2007) and Ghett'a Life directed by Chris Browne, (Jamaica, 2011).
Meanwhile critics have been lashing at Peace with claims that there were other great African films that could have made it on the list.