The African Cultural Agency (ACA) is organizing a preview screening of the Senegalese film "Banel et Adama" on September 29 at SEANEMA in DAKAR.
Directed by Ramata Toulaye Sy, the film "Banel and Adama" is in official competition for the Palme d'Or, first film (!). Shot in the Fulani language and starring Khady Mane and Mamadou Diallo, the film tells the love story between Banel and Adama, who live in a remote village in northern Senegal. That is all they know of the world; outside of that, nothing else exists. But the absolute love that unites them will clash with the conventions of the community. Because where they live, there is no room for passion, let alone chaos.
According to the director: "Banel & Adama" is the result of your final project at La Fémis. Tell us about how it came about… I wanted to write a great tragic love story; a story that everyone could relate to. And I wanted it to take place in Senegal, the country where my parents are from. I saw it as a political gesture. It's a strong word, I agree, but I think it's appropriate. When I was working on the script, I felt that most of the contemporary African films I was discovering dealt with violence, war, terrorism, poverty… all in a naturalistic way. Genre cinema was struggling to find its place: of course, there were a few examples, but very few. It was from this reflection that my desire for a universal film, one that would speak to Africans but not only to them, emerged."
The screening originally scheduled for Friday, September 29 at 8:30 p.m. at SEANEMA in SEA PLAZA will now take place at 9 a.m. and will be followed by a discussion with the film crew.
Source: press kit