Set in northern Mozambique in the 1980s, a train under military guard must transport its passengers and goods 200 miles through guerrilla-held territory during the Mozambican civil war. As rivalries form between the soldiers and friendships between the passengers, violence looms both on board and from the rapacious rebels. With the threat of battle pending, romance blossoms against the stunning backdrop of the African countryside. 

The film, which won the Italian Critic’s Prize at Locarno in 2016 is based on historical events during the Mozambique civil war during which a single rail line connected the south and the north. Helmer Licinio Azevedo studied under Godard and Ken Loach at the National Film Institute that they founded in Mozambique. Train of Salt and Sugar premiered in 2016 in front of an audience of more than 5,000 in the Piazza Grande in Locarno, where it won the Independent Italian Critics Award for best film.

Directed by Licinio Alvarez. Run time 90 minutes.

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