Projects in development
Last Cow
Synopsis
Leiyan, the quiet son of a Maasai chief, returns from his initiation ceremony to a village in crisis: most of the men are imprisoned, their cattle are missing, and any chance of survival rests on a single cow: Naserian. The fierce warrior Senkai, Leiyan’s friend and mentor, stands by him as despair deepens—first with news that a lion has slaughtered the herd, then with a government order to evict the community so their ancestral land can be sold to a Dubai sheikh to become a luxury eco-lodge. During a protest, an arrow pierces Naserian’s neck. Against all odds, she survives, becoming a national sensation. With the arrow still lodged in her neck, the cow draws tourists, politicians, and preachers claiming divine signs. The eviction is revoked, but at a heavy cost: the village is remade into an absurd conservation site. As Senkai vows revenge against the lion, Leiyan must fight to protect both Naserian and his community’s dignity before their culture disappears altogether.
Kijiweni Productions (Tanzania)
Amil Shivji
Gobez Media (Canada)
Tamara Mariam Dawit
Director’s statement
grew up among revolutionaries; politics shaped me before I had the language to contribute. My practice is rooted in Third Cinema, a decolonial tradition of political commitment, community collaboration, and formally radical methods designed to engage audiences. Last Cow continues my exploration of land, justice, and power, interrogating how conservation and tourism can mask dispossession. My filmmaking is grounded in long-term relationships with communities, living on location, and co-creating with non-professional actors to ensure authentic voices and nuanced performances. Visually and tonally, I employ satire, dark comedy, and a radical aesthetic to push audiences to reflect critically while holding space for tenderness and resilience. Last Cow is both a continuation of my artistic practice and a political commitment to cinema as a revolutionary force.
Biographies
Amil Shivji is a Tanzanian filmmaker and founder of Kijiweni Productions, which is responsible for the country’s most acclaimed films. His feature Vuta N’Kuvute (2021) premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival, won prizes at Fespaco, the Seattle International Film Festival, and the Carthage Film Festival, and was Tanzania’s second submission to the Academy Awards. His most recent production, The Empty Grave (2024), premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival and screened widely across Germany. His award-winning films have played on more than 300 screens worldwide, cementing his place as a leading voice in African cinema.
Tamara Mariam Dawit is an Ethiopian-Canadian filmmaker and an alum of Berlinale Talents and EAVE. Through her company Gobez Media, she has produced Girls of Latitude (MTV), Grandma Knows Best (Bravo), Finding Sally (Göteborg, Hot Docs), Alazar (Cannes Critics’ Week, TIFF), and Made in Ethiopia (Tribeca, Sheffield DocFest). She was a TIFF Producer Fellow (2021) and recipient of the Doc Institute Vanguard Award and Gordon Parks Award. Dawit is also a Chalmers Arts Fellow (2023) and MacDowell Fellow (2024).
Hubert Bals Fund, Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung, Open Society Foundation, Miles Morland Foundation, Africa Institute
