The Hero (O Heroi) by first time director Zeze Gamboa: starring:Oumar Makena Diop which won one of the top awards in Sundance this year and was the opening film of MOMA’s New Directors series in New-York, will competing at the upcoming Karlovy Vary Film Festival.

The film won recognition and prizes at
Sundance 2005, "Winner Best Film World Cinema Competition"
Washington DC 2005, "Capital Focus Award"
LA 2005 Pan African Festival 2005, "Best Film"
Opening Film New Directors/New Films 2005
Fespaco 2005, "Best Picture"

It will feature at the following summer festival prior to its US and spanish release: London 2005, Toronto 2004, Natfilm 2005, Durban 2005, Karlovy Vary 2005, Oslo 2005, Pusan 2005


Ever since its 30-year civil war ended in April 2002, the country of Angola has been struggling to piece itself back together.
Like their country, the characters in the film are determined to piece together the blown bits of their lives to make themselves whole again: Vitório, the war hero, has returned from the front lines, where he lost his leg after stepping on a land mine; now he struggles to keep his prosthetic leg away from thieves. Little Manu searches endlessly for his father, who hasn't yet returned from the war. Maria Barbára is one of thousands of parents who are searching for their lost children. Joana, a middle-class schoolteacher, strives to find political hope amidst the postwar corruption.
Bolstered by a talented cast led by the magnificent Milton Coelho, Gamboa deftly weaves together these deeply felt stories in surprising and unexpected ways, creating a nuanced portrait of contemporary life in Angola. However, the reach of The Hero is also universal: a luminous tableau of human longing and a testament to the power of perseverance.— Shari Frilot (Sundance Film Festival)

Winner of an award at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and the opening film of MOMA’s New Directors series, The Hero is a narrative triumph for former documentarian Zeze Gamboa. —Eddie Cockrell

First-time dramatic director Angola's Zeze Gamboa makes an impressive debut with a film that might be described as African neo-realism. The film's central character and the hero of its title is Vitorio. Having lost a leg in Angola's civil war stepping on a landmine, he finally, after months of pleading, gets a prosthetic leg from the Veteran's hospital when a doctor takes pity on him. With his new leg he seeks to start his life over, but is unable to find gainful employment. His rejection leads him to drinking and an encounter with a gang of punks who steal his artificial leg and military medal. Gamboa incorporates multiple storylines as describes the hardscrabble lives of the residents of Angola's chaotic capital city of Luanda. His film was awarded The World Cinema Dramatic Jury Prize - Rob Goald

Bravo to Zézé Gamboa for having the courage and the vision to create this film in a land where only
two years ago there was fighting in the streets - Wendy R. Williams

Cast: Milton Coelho, Neusa Borges
Producers: david & Golias/Les films de l'après-midi/Gamboa & Gamboa
France - Running time: 97 min