Project Detail

Colours of the Alphabet

Synopsis

A beautiful, inspiring and bittersweet story about language and childhood in Africa.
Steward, Elizabeth and M’barak are three first time school pupils in rural Zambia who struggle to make sense of an educational system where the language they speak at home is different from the language used in the classroom. Moments of perplexed incomprehension, both comedic and tragic ensue, as the children slowly come to terms with the fact that their tongue is no longer their own.
At a time when nearly 40% of the world’s population lack access to education in their own language, this documentary offers an intimate and moving insight into a global phenomenon from the unique perspective of three innocent children.

Details

Year
2016
Type of project
Features
Running time
80 mins
Format
hd
Director
Alastair Cole 1st Feature
Producer
Nick Higgins
Editor
Colin Monie, Nick Gibbon

Categories

Production Status

Production Company

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