Kapana & Masquerade

Kapana – Winner of Hivos Free to be me Award 2022

Kapana is the first mainstream queer film from Namibia. In Namibia, the word ‘sodomy’ is still in use and the existence of homosexual feelings, let alone relationships, is stigmatized. Being in a relationship with someone from the same gender is illegal, and against this background, two lives intersect. George is a middle-class insurance broker who lives in the center of the large city Windhoek and barely leaves that part of town. Simeon lives in Katutura, one of Windhoek’s townships, and sells katana’s in that area. The two of them run into each other when they both visit the same bar, and something happens between them. Something that has to stay hidden, but it is very hard to keep a secret when you are in love…

Kapana is the winner of the Hivos Free to be me Award 2022. This award is traditionally presented annually during Roze Filmdagen. Every year, Hivos presents the award to a film that contributes to visibility and acceptance in a country where there is little room for diversity.
Prior to the film, there will be a discussion with Hivos staff members Mickey Andeweg and Tinoashira Chikuni.

Masquerade – Short

A woman returns to her hometown of Lagos in search of healing. What she discovers instead is a path that takes her into her past and toward a new understanding of the people and experiences that shaped her. She runs into a woman that she used to know when she was younger. The two of them had an intense but fleeting romantic relationship. They rediscover each other, but only for a short while.

This evening is part of the Queer Movie Night powered by Hivos.