Martha & Niki

In 2010, Swedish dancers, Martha Nabwire and Niki Tsappos, made history as the first women to win the finals of the prestigious street dance competition, Juste Debout. Taking this as a point of departure, the film follows these two women on a professional and emotional journey towards self-realisation on their own terms, navigating this male-dominated space where their beings as black women and belonging are contested. Their bond and trust in one another seems unbreakable. As time passes and the story unfolds  in Stockholm, Paris, Havana and Johannesburg it becomes clear that both dancers envision very different paths for themselves. Martha & Niki is a deeply moving story about the fragility of friendship.

Courtesy of the Swedish Film Institute.

Director Mårtens and Niki Tsappos will attend screenings in Jozi and Cape Town. Tsappos travels courtesy of the Swedish Embassy in Pretoria. Martha Nabwire will attend the Jozi screening.

Tempo Documentary Award 2016