Buladó (2020)

- PICKED BY ANKE-
December 2021

Buladó is a coming of age story set in the countryside of Curaçao. 11-year-old Kenza is living with her father, Ouira, and her mother’s father, Weljo on a scrap yard. In the wake of the death of her mother, Sara, we find the family left behind and at odds. Ouira tries to teach his daughter about responsibility and how to succeed within the system. Eventually, he wants to sell his land to earn some money. Weljo, on the other hand, teaches her about the importance of the land: about their ancestors, the indigenous people and those taken from Africa, who lived and suffered on the land. In learning to live with the past in the present, Kenza also learns how to deal with grieving her mother.

The film Buladó is directed by Eché Janga. It won the prominent Dutch film award the “gouden kalf” (golden calf) for best film in 2020. The film is mostly spoken in Papiamento. It is available on Netflix and Pathé Thuis with Dutch subtitles and Amazon Prime with English subtitles.