France, May 19 -- On Becoming a Guinea Fowl by director Rungano Nyoni tackles patriarchal traditions in her native Zambia and gives a voice back to those who have been silenced.

"I'm denouncing traditions, but I don't think it's the traditions themselves that are a problem - it's the misogyny in the shape of tradition" Nyoni told RFI's Houda Ibrahim after the premiere in Cannes on Thursday.

The young director - at Cannes for the second time - skillfully uses mesmerising dream sequences mixed with realism and traditional storytelling techniques to tell the story.

It focuses on Shula (played by Susan Chandy), who is suddenly confronted with her past when her uncle Freddy is found dead in mysterious circumstances.

As the family gathers f...