Variations on a Theme
Jason Jacobs, Devon Delmar | South Africa, Netherlands, Qatar | 2026 | Afrikaans with English subtitles | 65m
Scottish Premiere
An elderly goat herder in the mountains of Namaqualand, South Africa, falls victim to a scam promising long-overdue reparations for her father’s WWII service. As she waits for money that will never come, the disruptions of her 80th birthday threaten to strip away the last of her independence. Structured as a series of recurring visual ‘variations’, Variations on a Theme transforms repetition into revelation to frame a portrait of waiting, endurance, and loss.
The feature will be screened alongside short film:
Submergido
Ariel Añez | Mozambique | 2025 | Portuguese with English subtitles | 14m
Scottish Premiere
After his brother Amarildo disappears whilst fighting the war in Cabo Delgado, rumors spread that he may have switched sides to the insurgents. Sérgio returns home to deliver the tragic news to his family. As tension mounts in the household, he begins to sense that his ten-year-old nephew, Pércio, shares a mysterious connection with the missing man.
This screening includes an extended introduction from film programmer Mosa Mpetha.
Mosa Mpetha is a film curator of Black, African and Archive films. She founded Cinema Africa! a permanent programme at Hyde Park Picture House in partnership with local diasporic communities.
Mosa is an advocate for DIY exhibitors, is involved in the Scalarama Leeds Film Festival and mentors new programmers. Mosa has a passion for the preservation and protection of African heritage, and distributes new restorations of African titles. She is also developing her creative archival film practices.