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This gutsy and charming film about a young Ghanaian-American woman at a crossroads marks the arrival of a filmmaker with a fresh, unique vision.
When her mother unexpectedly dies, leaving her a Christian bookshop in the Bronx neighbourhood she grew up in, Sarah is forced to rethink her plans for the immediate future – now, she must ditch her doctoral studies at Columbia University and postpone her move to Ohio to be closer to her (married) boyfriend. With her plans spectacularly unstuck, and juggling new responsibilities alongside a rekindled connection with her estranged father, Sarah must reconsider who she is and what she really wants from her life.
Actor Nana Mensah (Farewell Amor, MIFF 2020) makes her directorial debut with this smart and darkly funny film that authentically dramatises the African immigrant experience, which earned her Tribeca’s Best New Narrative Director award. Describing herself as “the Black Miranda July”, she offers a rare glimpse of the vibrant Ghanaian-American community that Sarah is thrust back into, while also writing herself a role that defies stereotypical depictions of women of colour. Queen of Glory is a quirky and heartwarming tale of one woman coming into her own and embracing a cultural rebirth.
“The personal nature of the narrative gives the film its heart … Queen of Glory exults in Sarah’s courage to unlock her authentic self, as well as in a filmmaker’s exuberance at finding her voice.” – Screen Daily