PARTNERS
Geology of Separation
Synopsis For the past six months, Abderrahmane has been living in the Alp, in northern Italy, in a former family-run hotel turned into a temporary reception centre for asylum seekers. In the room opposite his, lives Laly. Abderrahmane is waiting to go before a...
Fatima, a short life
Synopsis “Fatima, une vie courte” celebrates a young woman who worked as a housekeeper in Morocco and who was so mistreated that she eventually died. Relatively little is known about the victim. The film is rather a portrait of a country with startling contrasts....
The cemetery of cinema
Synopsis The director travels throughout Guinea in search of “Mouramani” by Mamadou Touré, first film ever made by a French-speaking Black African in 1953, using his camera to confront History. This is a film about cinema, both the kind we watch and the kind we make....
Amchilini
Synopsis In the canton of Boutefil at the gateway to the Chadian desert, unmarried women are accused by the Iman of being the source of the divine wrath on the village. The village chiefs decide to hold a traditional ceremony, the Amchilini, which consists in forcing...
Xalé
Synopsis Awa, a 15-year-old schoolgirl, enjoys her teenage years with her twin brother Adama who dreams of Europe. When their grandmother dies, her aunt Fatou and uncle Atoumane promise to marry to preserve the family union. But Fatou does not like Atoumane and the...
The last queen
Synopsis Algeria, 1516. The pirate Aroudj Barbarossa frees Algiers from the tyranny of the Spanish and seizes power over the kingdom. Rumor has it he murdered King Salim Toumi despite their alliance. Against all odds, one woman will stand up to him: Queen Zaphira....
The blue caftan
Synopsis Halim and Mina run a traditional caftan store in one of Morocco’s oldest medinas. In order to keep up with the commands of the demanding customers, they hire Youssef. The talented apprentice shows an utmost dedication in learning the art of embroidery and...
Under the fig trees
Synopsis Among the trees, young women and men working the summer harvest develop new feelings, flirt, try to understand each other, find and flee deeper connections. Biofilmography Erige Sehiri is a French-Tunisian director and producer. With her own production...
Simin Zetwal (Gazing at Stars)
Synopsis In a working -class estate of Mauritius, old man Bolom is nowhere to be seen. His son Ronaldo sets out to find him and meets Ajeya, an Indian migrant worker. He dreams of a Golden boy’s life, she flees her condition as a modern-day slave. Together, their...
Shimoni
Synopsis After 7 years in prison Geoffrey, 35, has to restart his life in Shimoni, a sleepy village in rural Kenya, a place he loathes. There, he stays hiding in the local Catholic Church compound and never leaves. Then one Sunday after Mass, Geoffrey sees a man with...
Our father, the devil
Synopsis Marie works as the head cook in a retirement home in a small mountain town in the south of France. Though she seems relatively well adjusted, Marie harbours a shameful secret-she's a former child soldier. Silently struggling with the remnants of her traumatic...
Maputo Nakuzanda
Synopsis It’s dawn in the capital of Mozambique. Young people are leaving the nightclubs. In the backyards, women are starting their day. A man is running, a woman is coming back from a trip, a tourist is walking, a worker is taking public transport, and Maputo...
Ashkal
Synopsis In the Gardens of Carthage, a district of Tunis initiated by the former Regime which construction stopped at the beginning of the Revolution, two cops, Fatma and Batal, find a burnt body in one of the lots. As construction slowly resumes, they start looking...
Bantú Mama
Synopsis A French woman of African descent manages to escape after being arrested in the Dominican Republic. She finds shelter in the most dangerous district of Santo Domingo, where she is taken in by a group of children living on their own. By becoming their protégée...
Mami Wata
Synopsis In Iyi village, villagers worship the mermaid deity Mami Wata and turn to their healer Mama Efe, the intermediary between them and Mami Wata, as well as Mama Efe's daughter, Zinwe, and her protégé, Prisca. When the children begin to die and disappear, Jabi, a...
Abu Saddam
Synopsis The experienced old truck driver "Abu Saddam" gets a transportation mission on the North Coast Road after he stopped working for years. He decides that he wants to complete his mission perfectly to complement his working reputation, but he faces a small...
The planters plantation
Synopsis In a West African plantation in the 60s, a young determined girl must battle family and society to preserve her late father’s legacy, a colonial plantation, amidst disagreements, betrayal and secrets. A musical comedy drama, an allegory of Neo-colonization....
Announcements of the Yennenga II results
Following the call for applications and projects launched from July 19 to September 30, 2022, the General Delegation of FESPACO is pleased to announce the final list of candidates and projects selected for the second edition of the Yennenga Workshops. These Workshops...
CO-PRODUCTION MARKET
FESPACO 2023: DECRYPTING THE VISUAL
“SARRAOUINIA” means queen in the Hausa language. This name was given to an Amazon, political and religious leader of the village of Lougou in Niger. Oral tradition made the queen a popular figure in the Niger loop, magnifying her resistance against the French, lending...