“The Adventures of Angosat” (“As Aventuras do Angosat”) is a 34-minute Angolan musical inspired by AngoSat-1, Angola’s first communications satellite, which lost contact shortly after its December 2017 launch.
Written by and starring Angolan musician, poet and activist Isis Hembe, the film follows Man Ré, a young man who dreams of travelling into space. Directed by Resem Verkron and Marc Serena, it was filmed in Cazenga, Luanda, entirely in a single continuous take, combining hip-hop, science fiction, comedy and street performance.
According to the filmmakers, most of the people involved in the production are people with disabilities. Accessible versions have included audio description, subtitles for Deaf and hard-of-hearing audiences and sign-language interpretation.
Since premiering in New York, Lisbon and Luanda between May and June 2025, the independent production has travelled to around 20 countries and collected 15 awards and distinctions. Its recent stops include Superfest Disability Film Festival in the San Francisco Bay Area and CineFest in Viana, Luanda Province, where it received four distinctions.
The film has also screened at BAFICI in Buenos Aires, the Festival International de Cinéma de Kinshasa and WOMEX in Tampere, Finland, and has been submitted to FESPACO in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
Watch the trailer below.