Fatou Kandé ESNGHOR, Senegal, 2024
SYNOPSIS
On March 7, 1820, young Ndaté Yalla and her elder sister, Ndieumbeut, witness a tragic event: their mother, Linguère Fati Yamar, along with the women of Nder, choose self-immolation rather than being captured during a Moorish attack on the Kingdom of Waalo. After the death of their father, Brack Amar Fati Borso Mbodj, Ndieumbeut becomes Linguère, while Ndaté Yalla is married to her cousin, Brack Tenge Relle, whom she quickly divorces. Refusing to have a husband imposed upon her, Ndaté Yalla chooses her own partner, the charming Sakoura Tassé Diop from Cayor, with whom she has a son, Sidya Ndaté Yalla Diop.
Upon her sister’s death, Ndaté Yalla becomes Linguère of Waalo, a territory coveted by the French in Saint-Louis and the Moors across the river. Strong-willed and determined, she fiercely opposes Governor Protet, rejecting colonial expansion and French interference. However, she is eventually defeated and placed under house arrest. Until her death in 1860, she secretly exchanges letters with her son, continuing her fight for independence and the freedom of her people.
BIOGRAPHY
Passionate about cinema since adolescence, I first studied Geography and Land Use Planning before embarking fully on a filmmaking career, working mainly as first assistant director. Self-taught scriptwriter and director for almost 10 years now, I particularly have a thing for fiction, series, but also documentary and TV films.