The Guardian Review
"Andrew Mudge’s affecting mini epic is reminiscent of many classic realist 19th-century novels, in a good way, complete with moral reformations, social issues of the day addressed (Atang’s love interest has a sister dying from Aids), colourful supporting characters and a light dusting of the supernatural."
Royal African Society - The Forgotten Kingdom review
"The Forgotten Kingdom is a perfect example of what we all want from modern African film. It is an affront to what was possible for black Africans a generation or two ago. Not only is it well written, acted and shot, it is also a story about an African man, an African nation and without explicit reference to the frame of African, a telling of colonialist legacy too."
TBFF Review: Painterly, Meditative S. African Drama 'Forgotten Kingdom' Buoyed by Rich Performances
"For the most part, the film plays like a quite, meditative tale, marked by compelling performances. There is a also a whimsical element permeating throughout the film. A key character at the core of Kingdom is an orphan boy (Lebehang Ntsane) who knows Atang's native land. The boy tells Atang he is "the eyes on the dark clouds following you around this country." The young boy seems possess an old soul; you wonder if he is in fact real or a mystical character."
SA co-production The Forgotten Kingdom in top spot at Lesotho box office
"The Forgotten Kingdom, the first movie filmed in Lesotho and in the Sesotho-language, was released on 4 April and shot to the number one spot on circuit in its opening weekend in Maseru, the country’s capital."
"The Forgotten Kingdom" rakes in International Awards
"Writer and director, Andew Mudge says what makes his movie: The Forgotten Kingdomappealing is that it is based in Lesotho."
CINEMA 365
"It is rare to find a movie that packs such narrative impact as well as emotional connection without having to sacrifice one for the other. The cinematography is breathtaking and Robert Miller has contributed a wonderful score that enhances the mood without distracting you from it."
TBFF Review: The Forgotten Kingdom
"It is not every day that you hear about a New York director deciding to set his feature length debut in Lesotho, South Africa. In The Forgotten Kingdom, director Andrew Mudge not only embraces his outsider status, but uses it to his advantage. He crafts a richly layered film about ancestry and discovery with a childlike sense of wonder."
First Sesotho Film Opens at Number One at the Box Office
"The Forgotten Kingdom, the first feature film in Sesotho, was released in Lesotho on 4 April and was the number one film on circuit in its opening weekend, outperforming Hollywood blockbusters Captain America and Noah at Ster-Kinekor’s Pioneer Mall cinema in Maseru."
Armed with an AF100 & a CineSlider, Director Andrew Mudge Makes First Feature Set in Lesotho
"Andrew Mudge talks to No Film School about doing just that in the awarding winning film The Forgotten Kingdom and touches on anything from why he gave up on DIY dollies to the inherent love/hate relationship a director has with a film."
The Forgotten Kingdom
"But The Forgotten Kingdom is not simply Garden State reimagined in the Lesotho highlands, and Mudge explores issues deeper than just Atang’s apparent narcissism"
Reviewed in brief: 'Forgotten Kingdom,' 'We Are the Best!' and 'The Signal'
"It follows young, attractive characters seeking their identities, and elders grappling with generation gaps, reminding us how much we have in common with people half a world away. This is a film you watch for the warm, intimate performances and the glorious landscape cinematography"
Florida Film Fest review: The Forgotten Kingdom
"There’s an authenticity growling beneath the picturesque surface and deceptively simple storytelling of this South African-based coming-of-age (and coping-with-mortality) story. The blank stares of protagonist Atang Mokoenya (Zenzo Ngqobe) often grow as meditatively wide as the vistas and canyons the character travels to find some sort of resolution. Emotions blend with the natural elements, words with rhythmic indigenous chants."
The Forgotten Kingdom
"The struggle between modernization and native culture is commonly portrayed in cinema, but The Forgotten Kingdom places it in a contemporary South Africa and Lesotho. Without embellishing the theme, Director Andrew Mudge has created a passionate and light-hearted account where re-integration provokes a coming-of-age experience, one that would have turned Joseph into the responsible man he would have become if not forced out by his father."
The Forgotten Kingdom wins Cambridge Golden Punt
"From the 150 films screened, the Golden Punt Audience Award for best fiction feature went to Andrew Mudge’s The Forgotten Kingdom. The South Africa/US/Lesotho co-production tells the tale of a young man obliged to make a pilgrimage from the bustle of Johannesburg to his native Lesotho upon learning that his father has passed away."
The Forgotten Kingdom
"Andrew Mudge, directing his own script, uses a lot of “golden hour” shooting to give THE FORGOTTEN KINGDOM a glow. Scrubby upland farms take on a golden sepia tone, indigo skies are ruffled with those pale grey clouds, and the bright, bold designs on the Basotho blankets shine like beacons."
Woodstock Film Festival 2013: 'The Forgotten Kingdom' the big winner
"Kingston, N.Y. - "The Forgotten Kingdom," directed by Andrew Mudge, was awarded the Best Narrative Feature award at the 2013 Woodstock Film Festival Saturday night during the festival's gala at Backstage Studio Production, in a celebration of film where director and actor Peter Bogdanovich received the Maverick Lifetime Achievement Award."
The Forgotten Kingdom: A Journey into Lesotho
"Written and directed by Andrew Mudge, “The Forgotten Kingdom” is a beautifully shot, character-driven story about an unexpected journey of a young man who travels back to his ancestral land and reconnects with his long-forgotten roots in the small African kingdom of Lesotho. It’s part of the African Pictures program at SIFF, sponsored by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences."
The Forgotten Kingdom looks beyond horror news headlines
"Not only are the sweeping grandeur of Lesotho and the compassionate performances remarkable, but they are matched by the director’s gentle insight into the traditions and timeless ways of Africa."
Movie Review: The Forgotten Kingdom
"It is a road movie on horseback. It is a love story with a slight reference to Romeo and Juliet."
The Forgotten Kingdom - Film Review
"With a touch of magical realism comes a story about a young beer drinking cigarette-smoking rebel, Atang Mokoenya (Zenzo Ngqobe) who is forced into a series of unravelling events leading him on a journey of self-discovery where he is stripped of all his wealth and quickly learns the way of the world."
Acclaim for The Forgotten Kingdom
"The film, directed by Andrew Mudge, has also racked up a total of nine African Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) nominations, including Best Feature Film, Best Director of a Feature Film, Best First Feature Film by a Director, Best Actor (Zenzo Ngqobe) and Best Cinematography. Also among the nominations is one for Lebohang Ntsane, for Best Child Actor."
Feature Film Shows Arresting Beauty of Lesotho
"An engaging movie filmed against the vast and rugged wilderness of Lesotho – the first feature film produced in the picturesque mountain kingdom – unwraps the mystery and beauty of the region and its people."
The Forgotten Kingdom: Filming Lesotho's Identity
Lesotho’s mountainous landscapes and turbulent political history provide the backdrop to The Forgotten Kingdom, a 2013 feature film directed by visionary filmmaker Andrew Mudge. We take a behind-the-scenes look at this spectacular production and follow it on an epic journey across Lesotho's mountains, communities and complex cultural identity.