Kiluanji Kia Henda film premieres at Rotterdam festival
The Angolan artist's new film, "Karl Marx, Luanda," combines African science fiction with spaghetti westerns.
Angolan artist Kiluanji Kia Henda's new film, "Karl Marx, Luanda," will premiere at the 56th Rotterdam Film Festival from January 28 to February 7, 2027. The film imagines Angola renewing its commitment to communism and tells a love story with time travel. It blends African science fiction with spaghetti western elements, as described by the festival.
The movie is a co-production between Angola and Portugal, with Wonder Maria Filmes involved. This marks Henda's return to the Rotterdam festival, where he previously presented a performance in 2021. Henda, born in 1979, is a multidisciplinary artist who explores collective memory, public spaces, and society, often reflecting on post-colonialism.
Henda received Angola's National Prize for Art and Culture in 2012 and the Frieze Artist Award in 2017. His work has been exhibited internationally, including at the Centre George Pompidou in Paris, Tate Modern in London, and the Guggenheim in Bilbao. He is also creating a Memorial to Enslaved People for Lisbon.
Why it mattersAngolan culture is represented internationally through Kiluanji Kia Henda's new film at a major European festival.