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This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection

Play trailer 2:04 Poster for This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection 2019 2h 0m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
100% Tomatometer 38 Reviews 92% Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
An 80-year-old widow stands up to local officials who want to build a dam and resettle her village.
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This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection

This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection

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Critics Consensus

This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection stands in the fault line between the cradle of tradition and tomorrow, defiantly insisting that one need not exist at the expense of the other.

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Critics Reviews

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Wael Khairy RogerEbert.com Sep 23, 2022
...nothing short of miraculous. In fact, “This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection” is as unforgettable as any film I’ve ever seen. Go to Full Review Adam Nayman The Ringer Jul 19, 2021
By the end, Twala's presence-and her grievance-feel genuinely monumental. Go to Full Review Radheyan Simonpillai NOW Toronto Jun 4, 2021
4/5
Between the textures of Twala's aged but defiant face and the deep, contemplative landscapes behind her, I doubt you'll see more beautiful and awe-inspiring images this year. Go to Full Review Marya E. Gates Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack) Feb 12, 2024
What is progress if it forsakes everything that came before it? Go to Full Review Filipe Freitas Always Good Movies May 24, 2022
4.5/5
A lucid and rare survival cry. Go to Full Review Ellie Lucas From the Front Row Dec 29, 2021
4/4
A work of great and terrible beauty, with a keen sense of time and place and timeless sense of justice. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Dolapo O @RT05120567 Aug 22, 2025 Mary Twala provides a hauntingly beautiful performance in this movie that challenges the stereotypes of most African films that paint the rural areas as places of peace and calm by exposing what really goes on in the homelands far away from the evil influences of the "city". They have their own form of corruption and struggles, Mary Twala beautifully portrays the experience of a southern African grandmother who tries to hold on to her way of life when everything else around her seems set on burning and erasing any living memory of it. An Oscar worthy performance. See more brad n @RT37786826 Jul 30, 2023 Sublime, heartbreaking, life! See more Jun 20, 2022 Beautiful, sentimental, and rich with cultural traditions and storytelling. This film belongs in a museum. See more Read all reviews
This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection

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Cast & Crew

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Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese

Director

Mary Twala

Mantoa

Jerry Mofokeng

Lesiba Player

Makhaola Ndebele

Priest

Tseko Monaheng

Chief Khotso

Siphiwe Nzima-Ntskhe

Pono

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This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection

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This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection

This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection (2019) This Is Not a Burial, It's a Resurrection (2019) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis An 80-year-old widow stands up to local officials who want to build a dam and resettle her village.
Director
Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese
Producer
Cait Pansegrouw, Elias Ribeiro
Screenwriter
Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese
Production Co
Torino Film Lab, Creative Europe Media, Urucu Media, Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali, Biennale College - Cinema, Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Southern Sotho
Runtime
2h 0m
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