CINEMA IS A WOMAN*

BURKINA BABES
Kagho Idhebor
Nigeria 2023, 7 minutes
English

A filmmaker visited Ouagadougou the capital city of Burkina Faso and not only got inspired by the aesthetics of motorbikes and bicycles that gave the city a unique cultural beauty, but he also discovered through his lens that something was appealing maybe even special about the independent spirit of the women of Burkina Faso.

Kagho Idhebor’s journey into film started at the National Film Institute Jos where he obtained a degree in film production. His career as a cinematographer was borne out of his love for photography while in film school, where his keen interest in the characteristics of light on subjects and contrast were ignited. His recent cinematography project King Boy - The Return of the King is currently streaming on Netflix as a Netflix original series.

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LA DANSE DES BEQUILLES  | THE DANCE OF THE CRUTCHES
Yoro Lidel Niang
Senegal 2021, 21 minutes, color
Wolof with English subtitles

Penda lives in a suburb of Dakar and goes to the city center each morning to beg, as her mother relies on this income. Passionate about dance, she joins choreographer Balla’s troupe but struggles to fit in due to her reduced mobility. Her mother pressures her to quit, forcing Penda to choose between her love for dance and family obligations.

Yoro Lidel Niang, born in Dakar, began his film career as an actor in the 2017 short film Perception. His directorial debut was the 2012 documentary Vers une societé inclusive. In 2019, he developed his first short film, La danse des bequilles, which was produced in 2020 by Cinekap.

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L'ENVOYÉE DE DIEU | THE ENVOY OF GOD
Amina Mamani Abdoulaye

Niger, Burkina Faso, Rwanda 2023, 23 minutes, color

Haoussa with English subtitles

Right here, the suicide bomber is chosen by chance, and is subjected to funeral rites in order to accomplish the work of God. Fatima, twelve years old, dropped off in a village market, wearing an explosive belt marked ten minutes to kill the enemies of God. For nine minutes, it is an inner journey during which she passes from the present to the past. Fatima discovers that this is the market where her mother sells.

Amina Abdoulaye Mamani, a Nigerian director and producer at Diam Production in Burkina Faso, debuted at the African Documentary Film Forum in Niamey. In 2018, she completed her feature documentary In the Footsteps of Mamani Abdoulaye, broadcast on TV5 Monde. Her short fiction film The Envoy of God premiered at Fespaco 2023, winning several awards.

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SIRÈNES | MERMAIDS
Sarah Malléon
Martinique 2024, 15 minutes, color
French and Martinican Creole with English subtitles

Daniel is a widowed father who lives in northern Martinique with his 8-year-old daughter, Soraya. Fisherman and restaurateur, he tries to make ends meet in a town hit by a strong economic and social crisis. His daily life is turned upside down the day his daughter decides to summon mermaids using a conch of lambi. If the little girl just wants to make friends, Daniel sees in his new obsession the risk of a dangerous invasion…

Sarah Malléon graduated in 2015 from CEEA, she writes episodes of several series like Sam or Mercato, she wins the jury prize Sopadin junior, co-directs Doubout. Recently she co-wrote the TV movie «Le Fantôme des Saintes» for France 3. Currently, she is working on Black Musketeer, a new Disney+ series, as well as on the biopic La Waspe for LincolnTV and developing her first series for Aux Singuliers.

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MIRROR MIRROR
Sandulela Asanda
South Africa 2022, 9 minutes, color
English, isiXhosa with English subtitles

Mirror Mirror is a comedic coming of age story that takes place over a video call between adorkable 17-year-old Luthando and her best friend, Jodie as they try to navigate the mechanics of self-pleasure and what it means to be a woman.

Sandulela Asanda is a dynamic young filmmaker with a background in Law and Economics. She holds an Honours degree in film from AFDA Film School in Cape Town.

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EGUNGUN | MASQUERADE
Olive Nwosu
United Kingdom 2021, 14 minutes, color
Yoruba with English subtitles

In search of healing, a young woman returns home, to Nigeria, the country of her birth. What she discovers instead is a path that takes her into her past and toward a new understanding of the people and experiences that shaped her.

Olive Nwosu, born in Lagos, Nigeria, is a BAFTA Pigott 2020 Scholar, Alex Sichel 2020 Fellow at Columbia University School of the Arts, and one of four ‘African Promises 2020’ directors selected by the Institut Français.

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THE ARCHIVE: QUEER NIGERIANS
Simisolaoluwa Akande
United Kingdom 2024, 22 minutes, color
English
Followed by a Q&A with Simisolaoluwa Akande

With Nigerian queer history erased from the national narrative of Nigeria, Queer Nigerians in the UK gather to tell their stories, documenting their experiences so that they can never be erased again.

From Nigeria to England, Simisolaoluwa Akande’s fascination with the art of storytelling crossed continents before expressing itself through film. Now a multi-award-winning filmmaker her films embrace a deeply collaborative and intimate approach to storytelling that provides black stories the space to be told and retold. 

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