''Forbidden Fruit'' is a 2000 German/Zimbabwean
short film written and directed by Sue Maluwa-Bruce, Beate Kunath and Yvonne Zückmantel. Filmed in Zimbabwe, the film depicts the romantic relationship between two women, and the aftermath of the discovery of their relationship.
Plot
In a rural village in Zimbabwe, a single woman, Nongoma, and her married neighbour, Tsitsi, fall in love. When their
lesbian
A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...
relationship is discovered, Nongoma flees to the city. When they are reunited by chance two years later, the women decide to move together to a village where nobody knows them.
Production
''Forbidden Fruit'' was filmed on location in
Mutare
Mutare (formerly Umtali) is the most populous city in the province of Manicaland, and the third most populous city in Zimbabwe, having surpassed Gweru in the 2012 census, with an urban area, urban population of 224,802 and approximately 260,567 ...
, Zimbabwe.
When the original cast members resigned fearing a
homophobic backlash, Maluwa-Bruce recruited friends and family members to act in the film.
Reception
''Forbidden Fruit'' won the
Teddy Jury Award at the 2001
Berlin International Film Festival and the FEMMEDIA Prize for Best Short at the
Identities Queer Film Festival in
Vienna.
It received a Special Jury Mention at the Lesbian & Gay Film Festival in
Milan.
Nicole Blizzard of Technodyke called the film wonderful
and Amy Villarejo of
Cornell University called it "a moving call to
queer
''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are not heterosexual or cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th century. Beginning in the lat ...
, global solidarity".
called it "the most gutsy film to be shown at the
Berlinale".
Daniel Somerville said "it may not
be the best film ever made but it certainly breaks ground in a Zimbabwean context."
Further reading
* Botha, Martin P.: "Queering African Film Aesthetics: A Survey from the 1950s to 2003". In: Ukadike, Nwachukwu Frank (ed.): ''Critical Approaches to African Cinema Discourse''. Lexington Books, Lanham, Boulder, New York, Toronto, Plymouth 2014. , p. 84.
References
External links
*
Filmwerkstatt Chemnitz
''Forbidden Fruit''on Beate Kunaths Homepage
''Forbidden Fruit''at
Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin
The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Forbidden Fruit (2000 Film)
2000 films
2000 short documentary films
2000 LGBT-related films
Documentary films about lesbians
German LGBT-related films
German short documentary films
LGBT-related short films
Shona-language films
Zimbabwean documentary films
Zimbabwean LGBT-related films
2000s English-language films
Zimbabwean short films
2000s German films