In 2019, the general public discovered Mati Diop with the sublime Atlantic, a surprisingly mature first Afrofeminist film in which romantic passion, fantasy cinema and decolonialism intersect. Highly noticed at festivals, the film leaves Cannes crowned with the Grand Prix.
“I’m one of those who refuse to forget”
In 2024, the French-Senegalese director returns with a new film that is already causing a sensation in the cinema scene. After having tried her hand at fiction cinema, Mati Diop signs on Dahomeya documentary about restitution in November 2021 of 26 works from the kingdom of Dahomey, Benin. The latter had been sacked by French colonists in 1892.
A lover of stories mixing realism and imagination, Mati Diop has chosen to give voice to these works. This second film earned the director the most prestigious award at one of the largest film festivals in the world: the Golden Bear, at the Berlin Film Festival. This year the jury was chaired by Mexican-Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o, first person of color occupy this position, as France Info reminds us. When receiving the award, Mati Diop gave a powerful speech decolonialfor freedom:
“ As a French-Senegalese director of Afro origin, I am from those who refuse to forget, those who refuse to accept amnesia as a method. I stand in solidarity with my Senegalese people who fight for democracy and justice. » The director then added: « I stand in solidarity with Palestine. »
Mati Diop also recalled that the works cited in Dahomey are only a small part of the Beninese treasure stolen from France, evoking “ 7,000 works still preserved at the Musée du Quai Branly“ in Paris.
In France the film should be released in theaters on September 25, 2024.
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Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
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