Films

Mancala is often represented in films. Sometimes merely as decoration, often with a deeper, symbolic meaning. Film genres include documentaries, comedies, science-fiction films, and thrillers. The oldest films showing the game were made in the 1910s.

Mancala also made it into TV news in the Ivory Coast, Uganda, the Philippines, Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkey, and France.

Many other classic board games have also been shown in films, which include Chess, Draughts, Go and their variants. Modern games, such as Camelot, Monopoly, and Mensch ärgere dich nicht, sometimes played a role too. The game known as "Tri-Dimensional Chess", which is shown in many Star Trek episodes, was reconstructed by a fan of the series, Andrew Bartmess, and has then become a popular Chess variant.

"A conspicious symbol for the fatal key note of the film is the image of two men playing a game. A caption explains that they play Chess, however, it is Kalah or a variant thereof."

Olaf Möller about the documentary "In the German Sudan"

List of Film Productions and TV Programs

The films are in chronological order starting with the most recent. The tables only include films which were shown at cinemas, film festivals, art expositions or universities, broadcasted by a television channel or sold commercially.

Documentaries

The listings include TV reports (linked to current events), ethnographic films (made by researchers), travel documentaries and creative documentaries.

Title	Year	Director	Distributor	Running time	Country	Languages	Genre	Description
Traumorte - Die Kapverden	2022	Jean-Hubert Martin & Eric Bacos	Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF)	43 Minutes	Germany	German	Documentary	Two men play Ouril]] (video).
Alles im Fluss - Leben auf dem Hausboot	2016	Tim Gorbauch & Thomas Vogel	Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF)	43 Minutes	Germany	German	Documentary	Two children play Kalah on a houseboat (video).
Mancala: A Documentary on Children's Experiences on the Migratory Journey	2015	(?)	International Organization for Migration (IOM)	12 Minutes	Switzerland	English	Documentary	About mancala in Syria (video).
Mangala Oyunu (Episode of Tarihin Seyir Defteri)	2013	(?)	TRT Turk	2 Minutes	Turkey	Turkish	Documentary	About Mangala (video).
My Zanzibar: Passing on a Cultural Heritage	2013	(?)	Africa 24 Media	55 Minutes	Kenya	English	Documentary	Showing Bao la Kiswahili twice at 13:46 and 14:08 (video).
Omweso: Omuzannyo ogusanyusa Omutanda	2013	(?)	Bukkede TV	6 Minutes	Uganda	Luganda	Documentary	About Omweso (video).
Mankala (Još uvek budni sa Ivon - May 9, 2013)	2013	(?)	studio B	16.5 Minutes	Serbia	Serbian	Report	About the mancala exhibition of the Belgrade Museum of African Art (video).
Serenata de Amor	2013	Benny Sato Ambush	SPIA Productions	15 Minutes	USA	Portuguese	Creative Documentary / Cultural Short Film	Showing Ouri at 1:34 (video).
Toghiz Qumalaq (episode of Zamandastar)	2013	(?)	24KZ	10 Minutes	Kazakhstan	Kazakh	Documentary	About teaching Toguz Kumalak to children with Maksat Shotayev, Serik Aktayev and other masters (video).
South Africa to Zanzibar Indian Ocean with Simon Reeve #1	2012	Andrew Carter	BBC Two	59 Minutes	UK	English	Documentary Film	Very short [[Bao la Kiswahili] scene on Zanzibar (video)
Uganda: Die Geschichte hinter "Kony 2012"	2012	Arnim Stauth	NDR	7 Minutes	Germany	German	Report	Shows a game of "Bao" (probably Omweso) in progess (video).
Durch Kenias wilden Norden - Vom Turkansee bis ans Ende der Welt (weltreisen)	2011	Werner Zappenfeld	Westdeutscher Rundfunk	30 Minutes	Germany	German	Travel Documentary	Several Turkana men playing and watching a mancala game on the shore of Lake Turkana, Kenya.
Hafswa Saggaf - Woman Curver in Lamu	2011	Khamis Ramadhan	(?)	9 Minutes	Kenya	English	Report	On a woman artist making wooden frames, Bao boards, and more (video).
Lamu Cultural Festival	2011	Khamis Ramadhan	Lamu Cultural Promotion Club / Alliance Française de Nairobi	18.5 Minutes	Kenya	English	Report	The festival includes Bao competitions (video).
Malawi - A Country in Southern Africa (Growing Up in Malawi - Episode 1)	2011	(?)	Credit Suisse	14 Minutes	Switzerland	English	Creative Documentary	Shows a game of Bawo in progess (video).
Malawi - Wege aus der Armut - mehr Landrechte für Frauen (Rio+20 DW Spezial)	2011	(?)	Deutsche Welle	4 Minutes	Germany	German	Report	Shows a game of Bawo in progess (video).
Nguyen Phan Chanh Painting Restoration Project (Dự án phục hồi tranh lụa Nguyễn Phan Chánh)	2011	(?)	Creative Position Core Co.	29 Minutes	Japan	French, Japanese, Vietnamese	Documentary Film	The film, which is about the restoration of silk paintings, shows Chơi Ô ăn quan (video).
Koutammakou - Land der Batammariba (Schätze der Welt - Erbe der Menschheit)	2010	Faranak Djajali & Rüdiger Lorenz	SWR	15 Minutes	Germany	German	Documentary Film	Villagers play a single-lap mancala game in the evening hours (video).
L'auale (Tot un Món)	2010	Bernat Casanova & Charles Solà	La Factoria d'Imatges	5 Minutes	Spain	Catalan	Documentary Film	A short film about Oware, which was shown on the Catalan TV Channel TV3 (film).
Linda Hoffman & Blase Provitola - Mancala (ART IN THE PARK)	2010	(?)	WCCA TV 13	17 Minutes	USA	English	Report	About an artwork (video).
Mangala (Gümüş Hilal)	2010	(?)	TRT Türk	3 Minutes	Turkey	Turkish	Report	About Mangala (video).
Mangala (Panorama)	2010	(?)	TRT Arabic	12 Minutes	Turkey	Arabic	Report	Discussing Mangala (video).
Mangala (Tarİh Dergİsİ - Episode of January 24, 2010)	2010	(?)	TRT 2	4 Minutes	Turkey	Turkish	Documentary Film	Showing Mancala (video).
Nizwa, dans le sillage de Henry de Monfreid	2010 (filmed in 2008)	Vincent Dumesnil	Alif Productions	52 Minutes	France	French (English)	Travel Documentary	Men playing mancala on a beach in Djibouti.
Cabo Verde Inside	2009	Alexander Schnoor	[Independent]	36 Minutes	Germany	German & Portuguese (English)	Creative Documentary Film	A Cabo Verdean who was born and raised in Germany is searching his roots. When he visits Cabo Verde for the first time in his life, he finds men in the streets of Mindelo playing Ouri (video).
Fish for Life (Africa: The Business of Food)	2009	Kristin Sellefyan	Dev.TV	3 Minutes	Switzerland	English	Short Documentary Film	Malawian children play a 4x8 mancala game with holes dug into the ground (video).
Making of... Jangan Pandang Belakang Congkak	2009	Budiey Isma	Metrowealth MIC	15 Minutes	Malaysia	Malay	Advertising / Documentary	About the horror film Jangan Pandang Belakang Congkak (video).
Quark Park	2009	Chris Allen	Chris Allen Films	70 Minutes	USA	English	Creative Documentary	Among other artwork it shows how a mancala table was created by scientist George Scherer and sculptor Kate Graves (video excerpt; trailer).
Cape-Verdean Americans (Episode 5 of World in America)	2008	(?)	Ebru TV	23 Minutes	USA	English	Documentary	Ouril ("Mancala") played by Cape-Verdean immigrants in America (video).
Edge of Islam (Life on the Edge)	2008	Steve Bradshaw	BBC World News	22 Minutes	UK	English	Documentary Film	Short Bao scene on Lamu Island (video)
Indian Ocean (Oceans #5)	2008	Matthew Dyas	BBC Two	60 Minutes	UK	English	Documentary Film	Short Bao scene on Zanzibar (snapshot)
The Language of the Universe (The Story of Maths - Episode 1)	2008	Marcus du Sautoy	BBC & Open University	58 Minutes	UK	English	Documentary Film	Professor du Sautoy claims that the ancient Egyptians might have approximated the mathematical constant π by playing the game of mancala. His theory is, however, flawed because there is no hint that mancala was already known in Ancient Egypt. Contrary to what is said mancala boards were never found carved on the roofs of Egyptian temples.
Beyond Bloomsbury (The Museum - Season 1, Episode 10)	2007	Chris Rushton and Anthony Holland	BBC Wales	30 Minutes	UK	English	Documentary Film	Irving Finkel visits his touring exhibition in Leicester where the famous Lewis Chessmen are on display next to Ludo, Mancala and Monopoly.
Le Cap-Vert (Carnets de voyage - Season 1, Episode 7)	2007	Philippe Crnogorac	ARTE GEIE & GEDEON Programmes	26 Minutes	France	French	Travel Documentary	Two men playing Ouri outdoors on the island of Santiago (video).
Twins of Mankala	2006	Jason DaSilva	In Face Films	11 Minutes	USA	English & Kikuyu	Creative Documentary Film / Short Film	Kid culture and socialization in Kenya and the USA (video).
SheWrite	2005	Anjali Monteiro and K.P. Jayasankar	Indian Documentary Producers Association	55 Minutes	India	Tamil	Creative Documentary Film	Filmed poetry - in a scene a mother is playing "Pallanguzhi" with her daughter.
Origine of Cape Verdean Nationality	2003	Ike Eric Nweke	Quintal Video	25 Minutes	Portugal	English & Creole	Documentary Film	Short Ouril scene (excerpt).
Up in Smoke	2002	Martin Otanez and Christopher Walker	Television Trust for the Environment	27 Minutes	UK	English	Documentary Film	Short scene of Malawian village children playing mancala on a wooden board (video).
Spiele der Völker - Afrika	2000	(?)	(?)	(?)	Germany	German	Documentary Film	Bao La Kiswahili is shown being played in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania; aired on October 22, 2000 by BR-alpha (source 1 and source 2)
Grand Cayman (Origins, Show #116)	1999	Burt Wolf	Kentucky Educational Television (KET)	(?)	USA	English	Documentary Film	Exploring the cultural traditions of Grand Cayman including Waurie.
The Games We Play (Caribbean Eye #11)	1999	Tony Hall, Christopher Laird, Bruce Paddington	Banyan Limited	26 minutes	Trinidad and Tobago	English	Documentary Film	A Unesco/Banyan Project showing Draughts in Barbados, Dominoes in Dominica, All Fours in Trinidad, and Warri on Antigua.
Océan Atlantique	1998	Pierre-Antoine Muraccioli	Warner Home Video	65 Minutes	France	French (English, German)	Travel Documentary	Two men playing Ouril in Mindelo, Cabo Verde.
The Swahili Coast (Wonders of the African World - Episode 2)	1998	Nicola Coltan and Nick Godwin	BBC / PBS	53 Minutes	UK	English	Documentary Film	In Lamu (Kenya), Henry Louis Gates, Jr., plays Bao with his guide Abbas from Shanga.
Kapverdische Inseln (ontour)	1997	Uli Hagmann	Helikon Film München / Bayerischer Rundfunk	47 Minutes	Germany	German	Travel Documentary	Two men playing Ouri in the streets of a Cabo Verdian town.
Milavalava and Chingelengele	1987	Gerhard Kubik, Lidiya Malamusi, Moya Aliya Malamusi	Ethnologisches Museum Berlin	5 Minutes	Germany	English and Luchazi	Documentary Film	About childhood activities of the Luchazi in the village of Chikenge (Kabompo District), Zambia; children are playing the mancala game of Milavalava.
Ethiopia	1985	Robin Lehman	(?)	28 Minutes	USA	English	Documentary Film	Showing a tribal mancala game.
Sur les traces du renard pâle (Recherches en pays Dogon, 1931-1983)	1983	Luc de Heusch	Centre de l'audio-visuel à Bruxelles	48 Minutes	Belgium	French	Documentary Film	Children playing the game of Ein in holes dug in the ground (video).
Kenya Boran (Part I)	1974	David MacDougall and James Blue	Norman Miller	33 Minutes	USA	English	Documentary Film	Boran men playing a mancala game on a wooden two-row board (preview).
Baga (Westafrika, Guineaküste) - Mankalla-Spiel	1960	Horst Luz and Waldemar Herz	IWF (Göttingen)	11 Minutes	Germany	Silent	Documentary Film	Baga children playing Kuoless in Guinea.
Latuko	1952 (filmed in 1950)	Edgar Monsanto Queeny	American Museum of Natural History (AMNH)	56 Minutes	USA	English (German, Spanish)	Documentary Film	Scene with men playing Ekonda in South Sudan.
In den Kakao-Plantagen der Goldküste	1951 (filmed in 1950)	Albert Kolb	Cadbury Brothers Ltd. (Bournville)	12 Minutes	UK	Silent	Documentary Film	Scene with Ashanti workers playing Oware in the cacao plantations of the Gold Coast.
A Mamprusi Village	1944	John Page	Ministry of Information	19 Minutes	UK	English	Documentary Film	Short scene with children playing a mancala game in the Northern Territories of the Gold Coast; the "board" was dug in the ground (video).
Spiel, Orakel und kultischer Tanz aus Nigerien	1942 (filmed in 1937-1938)	Paula Melzian	Forschungsinstitut für Völkerkunde (Leipzig)	5.5 Minutes	Germany	Silent	Documentary Film	Scene with two Yoruba men playing a mancala game.
A Typical Day in the Life of a Kwanyama Family	1937	Diana and Antoinette Powell-Cotton	Powell-Cotton Museum at Quex Park	25.5 Minutes	UK	Silent	Documentary Film	Children playing Owela near the town of Ondjiva in Southern Angola. The pits are dug into the ground (excerpt).
Jungen- und Männerspiele	1936 (filmed in 1928-1929)	Paul Germann	Forschungsinstitut für Völkerkunde (Leipzig)	3.5 Minutes	Germany	Silent	Documentary Film	Two boys playing a mancala game in Gbande, Northern Liberia.
Ata Kiwan ("Menschen der Berge") im Solor-Alor- Archipel (Ostindonesien)	1928-1929	Ernst Vatter	Ernst Vatter (Frankfurt/Main)	14.5 Minutes	Germany	Silent	Documentary Film	Scene with Ata Kiwan women ("People of the Mountains") playing a mancala game in the Solor-Alor Archipelago (East Indonesia).
Ford Educational Weekly No. 6: Tropical Sons	1921 (filmed in 1919)	?	Ford Motion Picture Labaratories & Ford Motor Co.	? (1 reel)	USA	Silent	Documentary Film	Men playing Worri (excerpt).
Im Deutschen Sudan	1917 (filmed 1913-1914)	Hans Schomburgk	Hans Schomburgk	65 Minutes	Germany	Silent	Documentary Film	Two men playing a mancala game. It is, however, described as "chess", thus revealing the Eurocentric ideology of colonialism.

Educational Films

This category includes films which explain how to make mancala boards and how to play these games.

Title	Year	Director	Distributor	Running time	Country	Languages	Genre	Description
Samodelnoe Puteshestvie (Самодельное путешествие) (Episode 4)	2012	(?)	Zagorod TV	13 Minutes	Russia	Russian	Educational Film	A mother shows her two children how to make a mancala board and how to play the game (video).
Ghana (Hands On: Crafts for Kids - Season 13, Episode 11)	2010	(?)	KS Inc. Productions	26 Minutes	USA	English	Educational Film	Ashanti stool made of craft sticks; wooden jewelry with African symbols; jute basket; a foam version of a mancala game.
Laurence et Adélice (Jeu t'aime)	2011	Vincent Magos & Delphine Cordier	Yapaka	1.5 Minutes	Belgium	French	Educational Film	The series aired by the Belgian TV channel latrois wants to motivate parents to spend more time with their children (video).
Game Quilt Pattern (Kaye’s Quilting Friends Show K1506)	2008	(?)	Kaye Wood Inc.	19 Minutes	USA	English	Educational Film	Mattie creates a game quilt that is great for playing checkers, parcheesi, and mancala on. Aired on PBS and several local TV channels in Ohio (film).
Arts And Crafts For Kids From Around The World - Key Stage 1 And 2 - Africa	2007	(?)	Quantum Leap	90 Minutes	UK	English	Educational Film	How to make a mancala game (source).
Für alle Freunde der Töpferkunst (Hobbythek, Episode 16)	1976	(?)	WDR	45 Minutes	Germany	German	Do-it-yourself Show	Kalah is made of clay.
Spiele für Erwachsene (Hobbythek, Episode 1)	1974	(?)	WDR	45 Minutes	Germany	German	Do-it-yourself Show	Pits for playing Kalah are pressed into sand, small pebbles are used to play the game.

Sport Magazines and Reports

This category features films about mancala tournaments.

Title	Year	Director	Distributor	Running time	Country	Languages	Genre	Description
Alvin Philp (ABS Sports)	2013	(?)	ABS TV	0.5 Minutes	Antigua and Barbuda	English	Sports Report	About the passing of Alvin Philp. a former President of the "Antigua and Barbuda Warri Association" (video).
Antigua to host World Warri Tournament (ABS Sports)	2013	(?)	ABS TV	1 Minute	Antigua and Barbuda	English	Sports Report	About the Warri World Tournament that was contested in Antigua from October 28th to November 3rd, 2013 (video).
Toghiz Qumalaq (20 episodes)	2013	(?)	KAZsport	5 Minutes each	Kazakhstan	Kazakh	Sport Magazine	Introduction into the rules, tactics and strategies of Kazakh national sport Toguz Kumalak (videos: episode 1, episode 2, episode 3, episode 4, episode 5, episode 6, episode 7, episode 8), episode 9, episode 10, episode 11, episode 12, episode 13, episode 14, episode 15, episode 16, episode 17, episode 18, episode 19, and episode 20).
Seaman’s National Ayo Championship	2012	(?)	Seaman’s Schnapps / Traditional Sports Federation of Nigeria	(?)	Nigeria	English	Sport Magazine	The program is spiced with cultural dances and facts about our culture and tradition (more information).
Kapuso mo, Jessica Soho (Episode of February 24, 2007)	2007	Jessica Soho	GMA Channel 7	60 Minutes	Philippines	Tagalog	Report	"Sungka Diplomacy" of the Philippine Embassy during the ASEAN Sports Fest in Pretoria, South Africa in May 2006.
The Game of Oware	2003	Oliver Oguntade	(?)	20 Minutes	Uganda	English	Report	Interviews with members of the Ugandan Omweso team, various Oware champions, and Seth and Glenda of the Oware Society in England.
Sports, Society, and Self	1983	Agency for Instructional Technology	Wisconsin Educational Television Network by Positive Image Productions	15 Minutes	USA	English	Documentary Film	Awele documentary (Baoule, West Africa).

TV Shows

This category includes game shows, quiz shows, do-it-yourself shows, talk shows, and reality shows.

Title	Year	Director	Distributor	Running time	Country	Languages	Genre	Description
Virundhinar Pakkam - Eniya (April 28, 2016)	2016	(?)	Sun TV	16 Minutes	India	Tamil	Interview Show	About Eniyan, founder of Pallanguzhi, an organisation to promote traditional games (video).
El Gran Dictat (July 2, 2014)	2014	Gemma Prat	TV3	41 Minutes	Spain	Catalan	Spelling Contest	Contestants are asked to spell "Aualé" (i.e. Oware) at 37:02, nobody knows how to do it correctly (video).
Survivor Türkiye - Bölüm 13 (Season 6)	2013	(?)	Star TV	125 Minutes	Turkey	Turkish	Reality Television	Short scene showing a Mangala board (video).
Survivor Türkiye - Bölüm 12 (Season 6)	2013	(?)	Star TV	125 Minutes	Turkey	Turkish	Reality Television	Scene showing Mangala (video).
Survivor Türkiye - Bölüm 11 (Season 6)	2013	(?)	Star TV	125 Minutes	Turkey	Turkish	Reality Television	Scene showing Mangala (video).
Survivor Türkiye - Bölüm 9 (Season 6)	2013	(?)	Star TV	111 Minutes	Turkey	Turkish	Reality Television	Scene showing Mangala (screenshot, video).
Awalé d'Or	2012	(?)	LONACI (Loterie Nationale de Côte d'Ivoire)	15 Minutes	Ivory Coast	French	Public Lottery Drawing	Video of first drawing.
Zlatý oříšek 2011	2012	(?)	ČT 1	52 Minutes	Czech Republic	Czech	Game Show	One candidate was Martin Kutiš who won the 1st place of the European Junior Championships in Toguz Kumalak at Czech Open 2011. The show was aired on January 1 (photo; video).
Big Brother 13 (U.S.)	2011	Allison Grodner & Rich Meehan	CBS (USA) / Global (Canada)	---	USA	English	Reality Television	Numerous mancala playing scenes.
Big Brother Africa 6	2011	Biola Alabi	Endemol	---	South Africa	English	Reality Television	On June 6, Weza said she had already packed but Vimbai said she wasn’t done yet as she continued with her mancala game with Wendall.
Gider Ayak (Episode (?)	2010	(?)	Kanal B	60 Minutes	Turkey	Turkish	Talk Show	Short Mangala scene (video).
Kelime Oyunu (Episode (?))	2010	(?)	Bloomberg	(?)	Turkey	Turkish	Quiz Show	Question about Mangala (video exerpt).
Pinoy Big Brother (Season 1)	2010	(?)	ABS-CBN	---	Philippines	Tagalog	Reality Television	Uma Khouny plays Sungka (video).
Hội ngộ bất ngờ	since April 4, 2007	(?)	HTV & TNHH Kiết Tường	70 Minutes (including commercials)	Vietnam	Vietnamese	Game Show	Based on Ô Ăn Quan (photo).
Hola Barcelona (4 de juliol de 2006)	2006	Olga València & Núria Dias	Barcelona Televisió	11 Minutes	Spain	Catalan	Scientific Talk Show	Víktor Bautista i Roca explains Oware and shows some boards from his collection (video).
Eating and Sleeping with the Enemy (Survivor: Guatemala - Episode 10)	2005	Michael Simon	CBS	60 Minutes	USA	English	Reality Television	Rafe and Jamie are playing mancala again.
Secret and Lies and an Idol Surprise (Survivor: Guatemala - Episode 9)	2005	Michael Simon	CBS	60 Minutes	USA	English	Reality Television	Jamie and Rafe are playing a homemade version of mancala in the dirt with rocks.
Planet Wissen: Brettspiele - Spaß seit Jahrtausenden	2004	Christoph Teves and Claudia Kracht	WDR/SWR	58 Minutes	Germany	German	Scientific Talk Show	A would-be game expert claims that mancala games were played in Egypt in 2000 BC.
Shooting Stars (Season 1, Episode 10)	2004	(?)	Mastiff Media	28 Minutes	Denmark	Danish	Comedy Quiz Show	Making fun about something, which looks like playing mancala (video excerpt).

Commercials

This category includes short films that are advertising a product, service or game (including lotteries).

Title	Year	Distributor	Running time	Country	Languages	Description
Awalé d'Or	2012	LONACI (Loterie Nationale de Côte d'Ivoire)	0.5 Minutes	Ivory Coast	French	National Lottery with a golden Awalé board (video).
Wings to the Caribbean	1968	Pan Am	27 Minutes	USA	English	A Pan Am Airways film about travel to the Caribbean. It shows a man and a woman playing Warri on Antigua island (video).

Art Films

This category includes music videos, avantgarde films (also known as "experimental films") and video art.

Title	Year	Director	Distributor	Running time	Country	Languages	Genre	Description
Am I Wrong	2014	Kavar Singh	Warner Bros.	5 Minutes	USA	English	Music Video	The music video by the Norwegian rap duo Nico & Vinz Showing shows an unidentified mancala game from Botswana at 1:57 (video).
Adiye	2012	A. R. Rahman	Mani Ratnam Film	5 Minutes	India	Tamil	Music Video	Mentioning Pallanguzhi (video)
More Than A Game	2012	Jordan Harris	Jordan Harris Film	3 Minutes	USA	English	Music Video	The band "Brilliant Kids" (ft.Nino Breeze) plays numerous games including mancala (video).
Bao La Kete	2011	Mussah DJ cash	Kwetu Studios	6 Minutes	Tanzania	Swahili	Music Video	About the virtues of Bao (video).
Flora	2009	Takmi Ikeda	Takmi Ikeda	2.5 Minutes	Japan	Sounds	Electro-acoustic Work	Second version of Mkomwe, which was inspired by African Mancala (video).
Mkomwe	2008	Takmi Ikeda	Takmi Ikeda	3 Minutes	Japan	Sounds	Electro-acoustic Work	Inspired by African Mancala (video).
Jesus Christ Goes to Mars	2007	Robert Grant	Passive-Aggressive Productions	6 Minutes	USA	English	Satirical Avantgarde Film	The narrator tells that "the Roman guards played rounds of mancala amongst themselves" during the crucifixion of Jesus (video).
Mot Songo	2005	(?)	(?)	6 Minutes	Cameroon	Ewondo	Music Video	The video is about a man playing Songo.
No Seed	2002	Howard and Mitzi Allen	HAMA Productions	4 Minutes	Antigua and Barbuda	English	Music Video	The music video is performed by "The New Dread and the Baldhead". It shows a game of Warri in progress.
Kalah	1981	Dora Maurer	Dora Maurer	10 Minutes	Hungary	Music and sounds	Art Film	It was often erroneously stated that the film was created in 1980 (source of the correct year). A frame from this film.

Narrative Films

Also known as "fictional films" these include animations, comedies, dramas, horror movies, soap operas ("pseudo-documentaries"), and romance films.

Title	Year	Director	Distributor	Running time	Country	Languages	Genre	Description
Kadal	2013	Mani Ratnam	Gemini Film Circuit / Thirupathi Brothers	164 Minutes	India	Tamil	Drama	A song called "Adi ye" mentions Pallanguzhi ("Pallanguzhi Paatha Puriyala Unna Nambi Vaaraenae" - lyrics).
Muhteşem Yüzyıl (Season 3, Episode 98)	2013	Yağmur Taylan & Durul Taylan	Show TV	96 Minutes	Turkey	Turkish	Historical Soap Opera	Shows a game of "Mangala" (excerpt).
Myna	2013	Nagashekar	Vajreshwari Combines	146 Minutes	India	Kannada	Romantic Drama	Mentioning Pallanguzhi in the song "Kichu Kichu Thambulam" (lyrics; video excerpt).
Dede Korkut Hikayeleri (Season 1, Episode 3)	2012	(?)	TRT Çocuk	13 Minutes	Turkey	Turkish	Animation	Showing Mangala (video).
The Last Fishing Boat	2012	Shemu Joyah	First Dawn Arts	110 Minutes	Malawi	English	Drama	A constant motif is the Bawo board and the struggle for it between a Malawian fisherman and an English tourist (photo).
Muhteşem Yüzyıl (Season 2, Episode 49)	2012	Yağmur Taylan & Durul Taylan	Star TV	90 Minutes	Turkey	Turkish	Historical Soap Opera	Shows a game of "Mangala" (photo).
Öldür Beni (Acayip Hikayeler, Episode 6)	2012	Veli Çelik	Star TV	37 Minutes	Turkey	Turkish	Drama	Shows a Mangala board (photo; video).
Dedemin insanlari	2011	Çagan Irmak	Ay Yapim	123 Minutes	Turkey	English, Greek, Turkish	Drama	Shows Mangala (video).
Muhteşem Yüzyıl (Season 1, Episode 3)	2011	Yağmur Taylan & Durul Taylan	Show TV	90 Minutes	Turkey	Turkish	Historical Soap Opera	Shows a game of "Mangala" (more information).
Yudham Sei	2011	Mysskin	(?)	150 Minutes	India	Tamil	Crime Thriller	Mentions Pallanguzhi in the song "Kannitheevu Ponna" (lyrics).
Jangan Pandang Belakang Congkak 2	2010	Ahmad Idham	Metrowealth MIC	90 Minutes	Malaysia	Malay	Horror Film	Sequel to Jangan Pandang Belakang Congkak (video).
Jangan Pandang Belakang - The Series (Episode 1-26)	2010-2011	(?)	Astro Warna	42 Minutes	Malaysia	Malay	Horror Film	TV Sequel to Jangan Pandang Belakang Congkak (e.g. Episode 6 on Vimeo.
Küçük Hezarfen (Episode 18 - Ata Oyunu	2010	(?)	TRT Çocuk	17 Minutes	Turkey	Turkish	Animation	About learning Mangala (video).
Long thành cầm giả ca	2010	Đào Bá Sơn	Hãng Phim Trẻ	(?)	Vietnam	Vietnamese	Historical Drama	Ô Ăn Quan is shown in the film, thus expressing the Vietnamese soul.
Ma'ami	2010	Tunde Kelani	Mainframe Productions	78 Minutes	Nigeria	English	Drama	Old men playing Ayo in Ma'ami's compound (screen shot).
Mawa Langa	2010	Colin Stevens		51 Minutes	UK	English	Humanitarian Drama	Two men playing Bawo (video).
Octane Pistols of Fury	2010	Chris Prine & Greg Stees	Escape Pod Films & Jet Lag Productions	15 Minutes	USA	English	Crime-Comedy / Short Film	Short mancala scene saying that mancala is more serious than poker (view online)).
Soul Boy	2010	Hawa Essuman	X Verleih AG	61 Minutes	Germany & Kenya	Swahili (Dutch, German)	Drama	Three short mancala scenes in Kibera, Kenya (the largest African slum) played on a two-row board with approximately 10 holes per row.
The Liberian Candidate (Unnatural History - Season 1, Episode 7)	2010	Paul Shapiro	Warner Horizon Television / Cartoon Network	45 Minutes	USA	English	Comedy-Drama	Henry and Tolo play mancala before they go to sleep.
Bayam Ariyaan	2009	Prateesh	Jayamathi Pictures	(?)	India	Tamil	Drama	The movie mainly deals with mother's love and the changes that absolute love brings in a man. It features the song Pallanguzhi Kannam ("Pallanguzhi Friend") (song; trailer).
Jangan Pandang Belakang Congkak	2009	Ahmad Idham	Metrowealth MIC	90 Minutes	Malaysia	Malay	Horror Film	Sequel to Congkak.
Türk Zeka ve Strateji Oyunu (Gümüş Hilal - Episode of November 19)	2009	(?)	TRT Türk	3 Minutes	Turkey	Turkish	Documentary	Explaining Mangala (video).
Congkak	2008	Ahmad Idham	Metrowealth MIC	90 Minutes	Malaysia	Malay	Horror Film	A traditional game turns into a haunted subject.
Muniyandi Vilangiyal Moondramandu	2008	Thirumurugan	Duraisingam Pillai, Karunamurthy K	(?)	India	Tamil	Romance	The song "Kodaangi vanthirukken" mentions Pallanguzhi (excerpt with the song).
Poova Thalaiya	2008	Sanjay Ram	Balu Poththam	(?)	India	Tamil	Romance	The song "Maip poosum kannazhagi" mentions Pallanguzhi (lyrics).
Madurai Veeran	2007	R. K. Vincent Selva	Supergood Films	155 Minutes	India	Tamil	Romance	The song "Nyokka Makka" mentions Pallanguzhi (listen online).
Pirappu	2007	L. V. Ilangovan	SRM	145 Minutes	India	Tamil	Drama	The song "Ulaga Azhagi Naan Dhaan" mentions Pallanguzhi (video excerpt with the song).
Azhagaai Irukkiraai Bayamaai Irukkiradhu	2006	Vijay Milton	(?)	(?)	India	Tamil	Romance	The song "Oram Po Naina" (Odi Aadinaen) mentions Pallanguzhi (review).
Dave (Lost)	2006	Jeffrey Jacob Abrams	Buena Vista Television	46 Minutes	USA	English	Mystery	While residing at Santa Rosa, Libby is seen seated at a table with a Mancala set in front of her.
Kalvanin Kaadhali	2006	Thamilvaanan	Dream Makers UK5	(?)	India	Tamil, Telugu	Romance	Song mentioning Pallanguzhi (song and lyrics).
The Friendship Club (Strawberry Shortcake - Season 3, Episode 1)	2006	Karen Hayden	DIC Entertainment Corporation	21 Minutes	USA	English (German)	Animation Film	Mancala mentioned in the Friendship Song (video).
The Game Board	2006	Kate Matthews	Kate Matthews	5 Minutes	Australia	English	Animation Film / Short Film	After an old Ethiopian folk tale, which centres around the traditional Ethiopian mancala game called Gebeta (excerpt).
Awale Kings	2005	Tim Hull	Tim Hull	8 Minutes	UK	English	Short Film	Children of Kela village recreate the history of how two kings played Awale at a pivotal moment in the foundation of the Great Malian Empire (script).
Tuli	2005	Auraeus Solito	Viva Films	113 Minutes	Philippines	Tagalog	Drama	Lesbian love story showing a young working girl selling kakanin and monay around the barrio, playing Sungka as a past-time, and bathing in a refreshing batis.
I Heart Huckabees	2004	David O. Russell	Fox Searchlight	106 Minutes	USA	English (French, German, Italian, Spanish)	Philosophical Comedy Film	Interesting mancala scene.
Massaï, les Guerriers de la Pluie	2004	Pascal Plisson	Mars Distribution	94 Minutes	France	Masai (French, Spanish)	Drama	There is a short scene towards the end with two Masai children playing mancala in the background. The board is dug in the ground and the player on the left is sowing counterclockwise.
Chokka Thangam	2003	K. Bhagyaraj	G. V. Films Limited	180 Minutes	India	Tamil	Romance	Pallanguzhi mentioned in the song "Ettu Jilla Paththu" (review of the movie).
Old School	2003	Todd Phillips	Columbia Pictures / DreamWorks SKG	92 Minutes	USA	English	Comedy Film	Mancala scene at the Olive Garden (video excerpt).
No Seed	2002	Howard and Mitzi Allen	HAMA Productions	90 Minutes	Antigua and Barbuda	English	Crime Thriller	Dramatic thriller which parallels a Warri game.
Anandham	2001	Sreenu Vaitla	Mayuri	165 Minutes	India	Telugu	Romance	The song "Pallangkuzhiyin" features Pallanguzhi.
Pengal	2001	Raj Marudhu	K. Srinath	(?)	India	Tamil	Romance	The song ("Kannukkula Pallaanguzhi" features Pallanguzhi (video).
Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000	2000	Roger Christian	Warner Bros. Pictures	118 Minutes	USA	English (French, German, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish)	Science Fiction Film	Children playing mancala inside a cave.
Ennavalle	2000	J. Suresh	Sri Sai Deva Productions	(?)	India	Tamil	Romance	Pallanguzhi mentioned in the song "Chinna Chinna Sugangal".
Xinca (BeastMaster - Season 2, Episode 5)	2000	Sylvio Tabet	Coote/Hayes Productions	45 Minutes	Canada	English	Fantasy	Voden and a girl are playing mancala (video).
Faat Kiné	1999	Sembene Ousmane	New Yorker Films	121 Minutes	Senegal	French & Wolof	Comedy / Drama	An extended scene between Maamy and the grandchildren played over a game of mancala.
Incognito	1999	Julie Dash	BET Pictures	95 Minutes	USA	English	Thriller	In a scene of this African-American thriller Erin plays mancala, which -- together with the African art visible in her office -- symbolizes that her entire world is about African American experience and culture.
Deadly Games (Diagnosis Murder #89)	1997	Christopher Hibler	CBS Television	60 Minutes	USA	English	Mystery/Medical/Crime Drama Television Series	First a very bad Weiqi scene, obviously made by someone who never played the game; eventually a mancala game is produced and played.
V.I.P	1997	Sabapathy Dekshinamurthy	Ayngaran International / Kalaippuli International	149 Minutes	India	Tamil	Romance	Pallanguzhi mentioned in the song "Mayilu Mayilu Mayilamma ".
Chinna Vathiyar	1995	Singeetam Srinivasa Rao	Swathi Chitra International	132 Minutes	India	Tamil	Science-fiction Comedy	Pallanguzhi is mentioned in the song "Kanmaniyae Kanmaniya" (video).
Le Maître d'Awale	1995 (?)	Jacques Milla	(?)	(?)	Ivory Coast	French	Drama	Awalé contest in a village in Benin between Jean-Bosco, the local champion, and a stranger who had beaten the master's bodyguards.
Daughters of the Dust	1991	Julie Dash	Kino International	112 Minutes	USA	English	Drama	Men living on small islands off the coast of South Carolina play Warri (source).
Visage de Femmes	1985	Désiré Ecaré	(?)	90 Minutes	Ivory Coast	French	Creative Documentary Film	Awalé playing scene in the Ivory Coast.
Pallamkuzhi	1983	N. M. Sreedharan	Vishnu Films	119 Minutes	India	Malayalam	Drama	(video).
Natchathiram	1980	Dasari Narayan	(?)	(?)	India	Tamil	Drama	The song "Ponnanganni Poothu" mentions Pallanguzhi (song).
Startrek: And The Children Shall Lead	1968	Marvin J. Chomsky	Paramount Pictures	51 Minutes	USA	English (German)	Science Fiction Film	Showing a Kalah board in "stardate 5029.5" (i.e. 2268); photo.
Juan Tamad Goes to Congress	1959	Manuel Conde	(?)	(?)	Philippines	English, Tagalog	Satirical Movie	Sultan Maputim is depicted as being fond of Sungka, then President Garcia's favorite pastime.
Pilipino Kostum - No Touch!	1955	Manuel Conde	LVN Pictures	(?)	Philippines	Tagalog	Satirical Romance	Arturo bribes Adeling's father and brothers with liquor and they happily allow him to stock firewood and play sungka with Adding.
Fliehende Schatten	1932 (filmed in 1930-1931)	Carl Junghans and Arnold Fanck	Flugfilm Syndikat	(Only 83 minutes still exist, which amounts to about half of the original film.)	Germany	German	Adventure Film	Made by one of the leading Nazi film directors and featuring Ernst Udet, one of the most famous German aviation heroes, the surviving fragment shows Masai children who play mancala.
Nionga	1925	(?)	Stoll Film Company	70 Minutes	UK	Silent	Drama	Scene in which a two-row mancala game is played on a wooden board (video).

Missing Scenes

Mancala is mentioned in some film scripts, but not shown in the actual movie. Sometimes the game also appeared in shots that were not included in the film.

Hello Africa

Hello Africa (2009) is a documentary that illustrates cellphone culture in Africa. Although a game of Bao had been filmed ("We have great material of them chatting, dancing to mobile tunes, discussing telecom operators, fooling around, and enjoying a traditional game of Bao." (source)), the shots weren't included in the documentary.

Machine Gun Preacher

Machine Gun Preacher (2011) is an action biopic about Sam Childers, a former gang biker turned preacher and defender of African orphans. According to the script, the film should contain a mancala scene:

EXT. FRONT GATE - CHILDREN’S ORPHANAGE - NIGHT

A few of the SPLA soldiers sitting next to their weapons in the dark, 
smoking,tossing beads into a carved wooden trough, playing the ancient
game of Mancala --
SOLDIER #2
(Arabic)
That was a mistake...
SOLDIER #3
(Arabic)
Where?
SOLDIER #2
(Arabic)
Right here... your third “house” is
open...
51
DENG (CONT'D)
Soldier #3 reacting to his mistake as --

However, the actual film scene doesn't show mancala, just men sitting around in the dark.

Uganda Wins Independence

Uganda Wins Independence (1962) is a documentary about Uganda's independence celebations. One scene not included in the newsreel story shows two men playing Omweso.

Various

Watson Kintner Collection

The Watson Kintner Collection of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology is a collection of travel films, which contains several shots of mancala boards:

Maasai playing a game on board with hollows; in: "East Africa (1952)" - Reel 8
a Kenyan game played with holes in ground; in: "East Africa" (1961) - Reel 13
a game of the Samburu using a wooden "frame"; in: "East Africa" (1961) - Reel 17
indentations on base of stela at Aksum thought to be an ancient mancala game board; in: "Ethiopia" (1969) - Reel 14

External Links

References

Basalla, B.: Chess in the Movies. Thinkers' Press, Davenport IA (USA) 2005.
Möller, O.: Der Blick: Anmerkungen zur Filmreihe "Erster Kontakt - Erster Blick". In: Film-Dienst 1993; 46 (15): 14-15.
Tiongson, N.: The Cinema of Manuel Conde. University of Santo Tomas Publishing House, Manila (Philippines) 2008.