Sci-fi musical from Afrofuturist visionary Saul Williams to begin one-week run at Ciné

Author's note: Due to technical difficulties, Ciné had to delay the opening of "Neptune Frost." Please check athenscine.com for updates.

From big studio blockbusters like "Black Panther" to independents like "Brown Girl Begins” and "Fast Color," Afrofuturism continues to increase in visibility in the world of cinema and across artistic disciplines.

Arguably, no one understands that better than multi-hyphenate Saul Williams, whose 2016 album "MartyrLoserKing" was the basis for his directorial debut, "Neptune Frost." The feature-length science fiction musical will begin a one-week theatrical engagement at Athens Ciné on Friday, Jun. 17.

Filmed in Rwanda and featuring actors, musicians and artists from the African country, the movie was an official selection at the Sundance, Cannes, Toronto International and New York film festivals. Williams wrote and composed all of the music and shares director credit with Anisia Uzeyman.

The opening scene of "Neptune Frost" takes place in the hills of Burundi, where coltan miner Matalusa (Bertrand Ninteretse) witnesses the death of a fellow worker at the hands of an armed guard. The traumatic experience prompts Matalusa to escape with like-minded others to form an anti-colonialist hacker group intent on taking down the exploitative regime.

Housed in a remote camp surrounded by technological waste, the group focuses on survival, evading capture and working toward its mission when Neptune (first played by Elvis Ngabo and then interchanged with Cheryl Isheja) arrives, an intersex runaway whose connection with Matalusa creates a powerful force that proves key to the hackers’ goal.

“Neptune Frost” can be enjoyed on multiple levels. There’s Williams’ eclectic and deeply affecting musical numbers that reflect his trademark urgency and frank delivery, which punctuates the ever-present sociopolitical themes in the plot. All of that is wrapped in consistently gorgeous lighting, cinematography and inspired costume design.

In other words, you don’t necessarily have to listen to the film to be blown away by the visuals, and you don’t necessarily have to look at “Neptune Frost” to go on an auditory journey into the cosmic sphere. And when it comes to looking at your smartphone, one of the primary goals of Matalusa’s group – and the movie – is to think of different ways to use that power to evoke real change in the world.

“We put our energy into everything we touch, everything we focus on, and maybe even into the things we ignore, but conscious energy is an investment,” said Williams in a press statement about the “Neptune Frost.” “(The film) is a story that demystifies the connection, that highlights technology as awareness, that shatters convention and honors the means through which this conversation is taking place.”

“Neptune Frost” is not rated, but contains violence and adult language consistent with a TV-MA rating. The film is presented in Kinyarwanda, Kirundi, Swahili, French, and English languages with English Subtitles. For tickets and showtimes, visit athenscine.com.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Ciné to host one-week run of new sci-fi musical from Saul Williams