In the remote Nigerian seaside village of Iyi, the people still venerate the water goddess known as Mami Wata. One day, the waves wash ashore a stranger who is taken in by the local leader Mama Efe and her daughters. But instead of gratitude and respect, the newcomer Jasper seeks to subjugate the traditional matriarchy. A distinctive contribution to the Nigerian New Wave, Mami Wata tells of the cost of progress and explores the accompanying crisis of faith. One of the winning films at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, it stands out in particular for its stunning visual style and poetic black-and-white images.