PODCAST | Chiara Nicoletti interviews John Trengove, director of the film The Wound.
FRED’s Chiara Nicoletti meets John Trengove, director of The Wound, the opening film of Panorama section at the of the 67th Berlinale. The film unveils the Ukwaluka, an ancient traditional initiation into manhood that is widely practiced by the Xhosa people of South Africa. John Trengove’s main purpose was to push back against clichéd stereotypes of black masculinity perpetuated inside and outside of African cinema. Despite exploring a particular tradition in a very specific and peculiar situation, by narrating about an impossible love triangle between three young man, Trengove manages to turn the story into an universal tale.
The Wound: Xolani, a lonely factory worker, joins the men of his community in the mountains of the Eastern Cape to initiate a group of teenage boys into manhood. When a defiant initiate from the city discovers his best kept secret, Xolani’s entire existence begins to unravel.
Alice Rohrwacher has been appointed President of the Caméra d’or Jury at Cannes 2025. Known for her poetic and visionary cinema, Rohrwacher will award the best first feature at the festival’s closing ceremony on May 24.