After eighteen years, Koffi returns to his native Congo to introduce his pregnant wife to his family and pay the traditional dowry. However, the reunion does not go as expected: although Koffi tries with all his might to reestablish ties, to the community he is and remains a “sign of the devil. Koffi seems difficult to pry himself away from his family’s deeply held religious beliefs. Along with other “devil children,” he decides to engage in the fiery battle to cast off this hellish label. Augure is an incantatory drama about identity, displacement and the yearning for acceptance set against the backdrop of a magical-realist Congo. The feature debut of Belgian-Congolese multitalented Baloji was inspired by the weight of his name, which took on the loaded meaning of “magician” in colonial times. In addition to directing and scripting, Baloji also provided the costumes and recorded four brand-new albums to accompany the film, based on the main characters. The visually stunning result was awarded the New Voice Prize at Cannes and won many other awards internationally.

Do you want to hear from Baloji, the director of Augure? Listen to our Celebrating Cinema podcast as we catch up with this rapper-turned-auteur about his visually stunning feature debut.