The only African series presented at the 2023 Séries Mania festival and winner of the Best Music award at the DAKAR SERIES festival last May, BLACK SANTIAGO CLUB is an 8-episode, 52-minute musical thriller based on the story of a legendary club in Cotonou, where the great Black Santiago orchestra, a true treasure of Beninese and African music, performs every night. Created in 1964 by trumpeter Ignace De Souza and led for the past twenty years by Goby Valette, the BLACK SANTIAGO orchestra is one of the oldest musical ensembles on the African continent still in activity.
Set to Afro-Cuban rhythms and Afrobeat, BLACK SANTIAGO CLUB promises suspense and twists and turns!
The first CANAL+ORIGINAL series filmed in Benin, BLACK SANTIAGO CLUB is an ambitious African production by Keewu Production (Mediawan Africa) with Hiris Production in Benin and CANAL+INTERNATIONAL. To write this series with a musical approach that is unprecedented in Africa, eleven writers—eight from Benin, two from Senegal, and one from France—worked together on the script during four years of development. They were supported by two consultants: Florent Mazzolini for music and Florent Couao-Zotti, a renowned writer and cultural advisor to the Beninese Minister of Culture.
The film was directed by a duo of directors: Toumani Sangaré, a Franco-Malian director and producer known for UN DIMANCHE A BAMAKO, WARA, SAKHO et MANGANE, and NOGOCHI, and Tiburce Bocovo, a young Beninese director who has worked on several short films and television series.
A true ensemble piece, BLACK SANTIAGO CLUB brings together an extraordinary cast, featuring eleven musicians from Black Santiago and talented performers, mainly from Benin, who are taking part in such an adventure for the first time. Notable names include Emmanuella Salimath Tolli Toffa Atinouké, who plays the female lead; Alougbine Dine, founder of the International Theater School of Benin; and Sèdo Tossou, who, after taking his first steps in cinema in Hollywood, founded Sèdo N'Nogni, a film school in Benin.
The series also shines the spotlight on Ismaël Ndiaye, a Malian actor who starred in WULU, and Malang Sonko, a promising young Senegalese talent who has already made a name for himself in TERRANGA, a CANAL+ ORIGINAL series also produced by Keewu Production.
African music stars of all generations round out the cast, lending their musical talents to the series' soundtrack while playing themselves: Zeynab, one of Benin's greatest female voices; Vano, today's star of Beninese rap and pop; Nel Olivier, Benin's star singer on talking drums; and Femi Kuti, Fela's son and true international ambassador of Afrobeat.
Nathalie Folloroux, Director of CANAL+ CHANNELS at CANAL+INTERNATIONAL, says: "We are very proud of this first CANAL+ORIGINAL series produced and filmed in Benin, featuring a legendary band, more than thirty charismatic characters played by young Beninese talents, as well as exceptional African artists. They have all contributed greatly to the series' greatness, particularly through their unique musical performances. BLACK SANTIAGO CLUB is more than just an orchestra; it is a large family of pan-African talents."
"We are very proud to produce Black Santiago Club, the first premium series filmed entirely in Benin and co-directed by Toumani Sangaré and Tiburce Bocovo, two extraordinary talents. At Keewu, we aim to showcase the stories that make up the diversity and artistic richness of the African continent through the variety of our productions. Here, we wanted to celebrate African music and the richness of Beninese culture. Through music, thriller, and family drama, we wanted to portray these forgotten heroes, African musicians, who until now have too often been invisible on screen, even though they are part of everyday life across an entire continent. An emblem of Afrobeat and Afro-Cuban rhythms, Black Santiago offers a unique vision of Africa that shines throughout the world," adds Alexandre Rideau, founder and producer of Keewu Production (Mediawan Africa).
TECHNICAL AND ARTISTIC SPECIFICATIONS
GENRE: MUSICAL THRILLER
FORMAT: 8 EPISODES OF 52 MINUTES
FILMING LOCATION: BENIN
PRODUCTION: ALEXANDRE RIDEAU AND BASSIROU N’DIAYE – KEEWU, MEDIAWAN AFRICA, CHRISTIANE CHABI-KAO – HIRIS PRODUCTION (BENIN)
COPRODUCTION: CANAL+ INTERNATIONAL, FABRICE FAUX – NATHALIE FOLLOROUX – CÉCILE GERARDIN – MADDY MANDERSCHEID
CREATED BY: FLORENT MAZZOLINI & ALAIN PATETTA
WRITTEN BY: ANGE-RÉGIS HOUNKPATIN, IRIS EHRLICH TOKOUETE, LUCRÈCE D’ALMEIDA, TIBURCE BOCOVO, DALAL SECK, BOUBA DIOP WITH THE COLLABORATION OF SOREL AGBODEMAKOU, DODJI T. ZOHOU, ESTAMINE MITO-BOBA, LICA MARIELLE DANGNIVO, AND ALAIN PATETTA
DIRECTED BY: TOUMANI SANGARÉ AND TIBURCE BOCOVO
CAST: EMMANUELLA SALIMATH TOLLI TOFFA ATINOUKÉ, MALANG SONKO, ISMAËL NDIAYE, ALOUGBINE DINE, CHLOE LECERF, SEDO TOSSOU, JULIO DARIUS DODJI AVAHOUIN, BELLE TIPHAINE ADJOA AMEGBEDJI, GONTRAND GUEDOU, G. STANLEY CHOKKI…
WITH MEMBERS OF THE BLACK SANTIAGO ORCHESTRA AND MUSICAL GUESTS ZEYNAB, VANO, NEL OLIVER, AND FEMI KUTI
EXCLUSIVE BROADCAST ON CANAL+PREMIÈRE
Starting Monday, JULY 3, with two new episodes per evening
(press release)