Ichi: Marks in Time
Synopsis
In 1911, the anthropologist Northcote Thomas made a study of the Igbo-speaking people of Nigeria. Among thousands of photographs he made are many portraits of men whose faces are covered with scarification marks known as ichi. These images of deeply-scarred faces appear to confirm colonial-era imaginaries of African customs. Returning the 110-year-old photographs to the communities whose heritage they depict, however, occasions a cultural revival as the traditional custodians of ichi tell their story and re-enact their lost art. Rather than marks of tribalism, ichi signified nobility, and protected people from being enslaved. Ichi cutting was brought to an end in the 1930s by missionaries who regarded it as barbaric. In the film, the few surviving men who bear the scarification marks recall their harrowing childhood experiences having their faces cut and undergoing this transformative rite-of-passage. Spirited despite their advanced years, they talk with a mixture of pride and regret at the loss of traditional Igbo culture. Made collaboratively with the Umudioka community of Neni, the film is filled with song, dance and masquerade, and offers a profound reflection on continuity and change.
Details
- Year
- 2023
- Type of film
- Features
- Running time
- 71 min
- Format
- HD Digital Video 2k (1920 x 1080)
- Director
-
Paul Basu, Christopher Thomas Allen
- Producer
- Paul Basu, Christopher Thomas Allen
- Executive Producer
- Chiedozie Udeze
- Editor
- Paul Basu, Christopher Thomas Allen
- Director of Photography
- Christopher Thomas Allen
Categories
Production Status
Production Company
Paul Basu
https://re-entanglements.netPage updates
This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.
See also
You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.
Spacewoman
Director: Hannah Berryman
Year: 2024
A landmark feature documentary about astronaut Eileen Collins, the first woman to pilot and command the Space Shuttle. Eileen’s incredible journey starts with her smalltown beginnings, sees her smash through many glass ceilings, and culminates in four dramatic space shuttle missions, the last being possibly the most dangerous and most important of them all. At its heart the film is the moving human drama of one family, where a mother’s extraordinary career takes us straight to the big philosophical question of what is the level of acceptable risk in human endeavour? This film celebrates Commander Collins’ trailblazing NASA career which opened the way for women to become spacecraft pilots and commanders, and proved a perfect riposte to a previous generation of male astronauts who thought there was no place for women to lead the way in space. Official Selection DOC NYC 2024 - World premiere Official Selection CPH:DOX 2025 - European premiere
Tale of the Tape
Director: Christopher Hanvey
Year: 2025
Told from the point of view of the 'Second', TALE OF TAPE presents the story of authentic blue-collar Fighters sacrificing everything for that one shot at glory by any means necessary.
Seventeen
Director: Ajuan Isaac-George
Year: 2024
A coming of age film following a group of teenage skaters over a single summer, charting their journey from childhood to adulthood, as they contend with what it means to grow up. Official Selection Doc NYC 2025 Official Selection BFI London Film Festival 2025