The Nights Still Smell of Gunpowder

As Noites Ainda Cheiram a Pólvora

A testament to the emotional power of shared memory, Inadelso Cossa’s elegiac and inventive film challenges the societal silence enveloping post-civil-war Mozambique.

Screening dates and booking

Check which tickets are still available across the festival – and find out about extra ticket releases.

Credits

  • Director-screenwriter

    Inadelso Cossa

  • Mozambique-France-Germany-Portugal-Netherlands-Norway 2024. 92min

  • Courtesy of

    Syndicado

  • Languages

    Tsonga, Portuguese

    With English subtitles

Introduction

Writer, director and cinematographer Cossa returns to his grandmother’s village in Mozambique to record the untold stories of his childhood during the civil war. Now battling Alzheimer’s, his grandmother’s stories seem to exist at the intersection between truth and fiction, reality and imagination. As its poetic title suggests, the film engages with the muted yet ever-present trauma of war and its harrowing aftermath.

Hyun Jin Cho

Content warning

Contains distressing scenes.

How to book

Tickets start from £10 for all screenings and events in London, with concessions available for many screenings. Booking information and ticket prices

If you’re aged 16 to 25, sign up for free to our BFI 25 & Under scheme for a chance to get £5 tickets to all screenings and events.

Missed out?

More tickets may become available for these screenings before and during the festival. Find out about extra ticket releases.

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