France/Tajikistan 2006, Tajikistan with English subtitles, 35mm, 90 min
Director: Djamshed Usmonov
Screenplay : Djamshed Usmonov
Cinematography: Pascal Lagriffoul
Cast: Khurched Golibekov, Dinara Droukarova, Maruf Pulodzoda
Print Source: Celluloid Dreams
Djamshed Usmonov, who gave us Angel on the Right, returns with the provocatively titled To Get to Heaven First You Have to Die. The film chronicles the story of Kamal, a morose young man, and his quest to restore his sexual potency. But far from a sexual comedy, this quirky premise evolves into far more unsettling territory, speaking volumes about the cultural shifts occurring in Central Asia .
The film's protagonist is a twenty-year-old newlywed whom we first meet in a doctor's office where he is seeking attention for his flaccidity, which his left his bride of three months a virgin. He leaves his small village and his wife and heads for the city where makes several unsuccessful attempts at seduction. However things soon take a turn for the worse and Kamal falls in with a group of criminals whose nefarious concerns overshadow his impotency. With highly restrained performances and direction, this is a hauntingly vivid and thoroughly unpredictable coming of age tale.
The Cape Winelands will again at the 2012 edition of this festival present a series of Masterclasses and workshops. These events are sponsored by the City of Cape Town and Wesgro.
Winner of the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes festival, Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s new film has the magic of a fairy tale and the simplicity of a folk tale. Wonderfully immersive, slow and dreamy, 
