Sightlines · reception

How I Am Not a Witch was received

2017 · Rungano Nyoni · I Am Not a Witch on Sightlines

The arc

It arrived at Cannes' Directors' Fortnight in 2017 as a buzzy debut and won the BAFTA for Outstanding British Debut, then became the UK's surprise Oscar entry. Its stock has only risen since — once Nyoni's On Becoming a Guinea Fowl hit in 2024, cinephiles streamed back to this one and re-crowned it a landmark first feature.

What’s debated

Film fans still argue over its tonal tightrope — whether the deadpan, absurdist satire honors or sits uneasily against the real-world suffering of accused 'witches' — plus the eyebrow-raising quirk of a Zambian-language film being Britain's official Oscar submission.

Its footprint

The film's signature image — women tethered by long white ribbons to giant wooden spools — became instantly iconic, endlessly screenshotted and a fixture of 'best shots of the 2010s' lists. It's also a standard-bearer whenever people list the new wave of African and diaspora auteurs.

Where it stands

A Letterboxd-era canon climber: routinely named among the great debuts of the 2010s and the 'start here' film for anyone discovering Rungano Nyoni.

Did you know? To research the film, Nyoni spent a month living in an actual witch camp in Ghana — one that has existed for over 200 years — observing the daily lives of the women confined there.

Named by the director

• Hyenas (1992) — Nyoni cited Djibril Diop Mambéty's satirical fable as a touchstone for the film's blend of parable and social critique.
• Yorgos Lanthimos — Nyoni named him her favorite working director during the film's press run, praising his absurdity and his refusal to ease viewers into his worlds.
• Michael Haneke — Nyoni described herself as a huge Haneke fan, fascinated by how he makes her feel for characters she has nothing in common with.