11 October | Octobre : International Day of the Girl Child | Journée internationale de la fille : A Focus on Related Films by African Women

UN : International Day of the Girl Child | Journée internationale de la fille 

The day aims to highlight and address the needs and challenges girls face, while promoting girls' empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights.

Cette Journée vise à mettre en lumière les besoins des filles et à répondre aux défis auxquels elles font face. Cette Journée promeut également l'autonomisation des filles et l'exercice de leurs droits fondamentaux.

The girl-child as main protagonist in a selection of recent films by African women  

La petite fille comme protagoniste principale dans une sélection de films récents par les réalisatrices africaines

Source: African Women in Cinema Blog 

[English]

The filmmakers' message of tolerance and universal humanism comes through the children…child characters are represented as the hope for the desirable gender relations. (Sr. Dr. Dominica Dipio)

In the selection of films that follow, the girl-child plays the main protagonist. This representation of the girl character is an empowering practice as she deals with complex issues regarding her family and the world around her: Five-year-old Nadia lives in the slums of Casablanca where she is surrounded by a wall that separates her from the rest of the city; Elikia, is a five-year old with albinism, which is considered a stereotype by her neighbors; nine-year-old Zeinab opposes moving to Canada because she hates the snow; ten-year-old Mouna who copes with the death of her mother, almost never separates from her doll Ashia; ten-year-old Godelive attends a Catholic convent school in the Congo. However, the strict western education collides with her own memories of the traditions of her grandmother; eight-year-old Aida attempts to ease the suffering of her mother after her father brings a second wife into the household; after being accused of being a witch and placed in a "witches camp", 9-year-old Shula longs for freedom. Seven-year-old Aya lives with her Salafist parents, Mariem and Youssef. For fear of being banished by his Salafist community, Youssef is obliged to impose the wearing of Niqab on his wife. One day, Aya commits an act that will disrupt forever the fate of her family. Casablanca of the late 1970s. Eleven-year-old Hiba is fascinated with the cinema at a time in the history of Morocco where this space is still closed to women. Despite her mother’s interdiction, in order to enter the movie house, Hiba is ready to sell the object of her other passion, her books. Eleven-year-old pre-teen Amy discovers in her new elementary school a group of dancers called: “Les Mignonnes”. Fascinated, she begins a sexy dance, the twerk, hoping to join their band and escape a family upheaval.

[Français]

Le message de tolérance et d'humanisme universel des cinéastes passe par les enfants ... les personnages d'enfants sont représentés comme l'espoir des relations de genre souhaitables. (Sr. Dr. Dominica Dipio)

Dans une sélection de films récents ci-dessous, la petite fille joue le rôle principal. Cette représentation cinématographique nous montre une image forte et valorisante de la petite fille, lorsqu’elle confronte des questions complexes concernant sa famille et le monde qui l’entoure : Mouna, 10 ans, qui fait face à la mort de sa mère, ne se sépare presque jamais de sa poupée Aisha ; Elikia, 5 ans, est atteinte d’albinisme que son voisinage considère comme un stéréotype ; Nadia, 5 ans, vit dans les bidonvilles de Casablanca où elle est entourée d'un mur qui la sépare du reste de la ville ; Godelive, 10 ans, vit dans un pensionnat catholique en Congo y recevant une éducation occidentale. Mais le souvenir de sa grand-mère s’interpose ; Zeinab, qui a neuf ans, ne veux pas vivre au Canada parce qu’elle n’aime pas la neige; Aida, 8 ans, tente de soulager la souffrance de sa mère après que le père amène une seconde femme à la maison; Shula, qui a neuf ans, accusée de sorcellerie et mise dans un camp de sorcières, rêve de liberté. Aya, 7 ans, vit avec ses parents salafistes, Mariem et Youssef. Par peur d'être banni par sa communauté salafiste, Youssef est contraint d'imposer le port du Niqab à sa femme. Un jour, Aya commet un acte qui bouleversera à jamais le destin de sa famille. Casablanca, fin des années 70. Hiba, âgée de 11 ans, est fascinée par le cinéma à un moment de l'histoire du Maroc où ce lieu est encore fermé à la gente féminine. Malgré l'interdiction de sa mère, elle est prête à revendre l'objet de son autre passion, ses livres, pour y entrer. Amy, 11 ans, rencontre un groupe de danseuses appelé : « Les Mignonnes ». Fascinée, elle s’initie à une danse sensuelle, dans l’espoir d’intégrer leur bande et de fuir un bouleversement familial.

 

Maïmouna Doucouré: « Mignonnes » selected at | sélectionné à Sundance 2020

Ashia by/de Françoise Ellong Cameroon |Cameroun)

A Place for Myself | Une place pour moi by/de Marie Clémentine Dusabejambo (Rwanda)

 

Aya by/de Moufida Fedhila (Tunisia | Tunisie)

Behind the Wall | Derrière le mur by/de Karima Zoubir (Morocco | Maroc)

I am not a witch | Je ne suis pas une sorcière by/de Rungano Nyoni (Zambia | Zambie)

 

Les Mignonnes | Cuties by/de Maïmouna Doucouré (France-Senegal)

Maman(s) by/de Maïmouna Doucouré (France-Senegal)

Riad de mes rêves | Riad of my dreams by/de Zineb Tamourt (Morocco | Maroc)

Soeur Oyo | Sister Oyo by/de Monique Mbeka Phoba (Belgium-DRC)

Zaineb Hates the Snow | Zaineb n’aime pas la neige by/de Kaouther Ben Hania (Tunisia |Tunisie)

African Diasporas. France. Maïmouna Doucouré: Hawa. Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2022

African Diasporas. France

Maïmouna Doucouré: Hawa

Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2022

Hawa de Maïmouna Doucouré, coproduit par Amazon Studios, est en compétition de la 46ème édition du Festival international du film de Toronto (TIFF) 2022.

Hawa, une adolescente de 15 ans, part à la recherche d’un nouveau tuteur quand sa grand-mère, avec qui elle vit, tombe gravement malade. Le jour où elle apprend qu’une star internationale fait un déplacement en France, elle se lance dans une impossible quête afin de la convaincre de l’adopter.

Hawa by Maïmouna Doucouré, co-produced by Amazon Studios, is in competition at the 46th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2022.

Hawa, who is 15 years old sets out in search of a new guardian after her grandmother, with whom she lives, becomes seriously ill. The moment she learns that an international star will be traveling to France, she embarks on an impossible quest to convince her to adopt her. 

Maïmouna Doucouré talks about her film Mignonnes | Cuties (2020)

Maïmouna Doucouré talks about her film Mignonnes | Cuties

Mignonnes (its English title Cuties) by Franco-Senegalese filmmaker Maïmouna Doucouré, premiered at the World Cinema Dramatic Competition section of the Sundance Film Festival in 2020, winning the Directing Award.

Synopsis
Eleven-year-old pre-teen Amy discovers in her new elementary school a group of dancers called: “Les Mignonnes”. Fascinated, she begins a sexy dance, the twerk, hoping to join their band and escape a family upheaval.

The U.S-generated controversy around the film moved the filmmaker to proactively counter the whirl of rightwing untruths and conspiracy-theories by people who have not seen the film, describing it as inciting child pornography and pedophilia. Already on the screens in France since August with no fanfare, it is set to be released in the United States by Netflix in September, against a campaign to remove the film from its streaming service.

The U.S.-made controversy was self-induced by Netflix itself, choosing to promote the U.S. release with a poster, very different from the French one, of the young protagonists scantily-clothed in sexually provocative poses.

One of her discussions of the film and why she made it appears in the Washington Post Opinions section. She introduces it by talking about what triggered her interest in the subject.

I was at a community event in Paris a few years ago when a group of young girls came on the stage dressed and dancing in a very risque way. They were only 11 years old, and their performance was shocking. Curious to understand what was happening on that platform, I spent the next year and a half interviewing more than a hundred 10- and 11-year-old girls across the city.

The result was my movie "Mignonnes," or "Cuties" in English. I wanted to make a film in the hope of starting a conversation about the sexualization of children.

Follow the link to the the entire text: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/cuties-director-maimouna-doucoure-why-i-made-the-film/2020/09/15/7e0ee406-f78b-11ea-a275-1a2c2d36e1f1_story.html? 

ALSO SEE: Why I made cuties. Interview with Maïmouna Doucouré

11 October | Octobre 2018 : International Day of the Girl Child | Journée internationale de la fille

11 October | Octobre 2018

International Day of the Girl Child

Journée internationale de la fille

UN : International Day of the Girl Child | Journée internationale de la fille 

The day aims to highlight and address the needs and challenges girls face, while promoting girls' empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights.

Cette Journée vise à mettre en lumière les besoins des filles et à répondre aux défis auxquels elles font face. Cette Journée promeut également l'autonomisation des filles et l'exercice de leurs droits fondamentaux.

The girl-child as main protagonist in a selection of recent films by African women  

La petite fille comme protagoniste principale dans une sélection de films récents par les réalisatrices africaines

[English]

In the selection of films that follow, the girl-child plays the main protagonist. This representation of the girl character is an empowering practice as she deals with complex issues regarding her family and the world around her: Five-year-old Nadia lives in the slums of Casablanca where she is surrounded by a wall that separates her from the rest of the city; Elikia, is a five-year old with albinism, which is considered a stereotype by her neighbors; nine-year-old Zeinab opposes moving to Canada because she hates the snow; ten-year-old Mouna who copes with the death of her mother, almost never separates from her doll Ashia; ten-year-old Godelive attends a Catholic convent school in the Congo. However, the strict western education collides with her own memories of the traditions of her grandmother; eight-year-old Aida attempts to ease the suffering of her mother after her father brings a second wife into the household; after being accused of being a witch and placed in a "witches camp", 9-year-old Shula longs for freedom. Seven-year-old Aya lives with her Salafist parents, Mariem and Youssef. For fear of being banished by his Salafist community, Youssef is obliged to impose the wearing of Niqab on his wife. One day, Aya commits an act that will disrupt forever the fate of her family. Casablanca of the late 1970s. Eleven-year-old Hiba is fascinated with the cinema at a time in the history of Morocco where this space is still closed to women. Despite her mother’s interdiction, in order to enter the movie house, Hiba is ready to sell the object of her other passion, her books.

[Français]

Dans une sélection de films récents ci-dessous, la petite fille joue le rôle principal. Cette représentation cinématographique nous montre une image forte et valorisante de la petite fille, lorsqu’elle confronte des questions complexes concernant sa famille et le monde qui l’entoure : Mouna, 10 ans, qui fait face à la mort de sa mère, ne se sépare presque jamais de sa poupée Aisha ; Elikia, 5 ans, est atteinte d’albinisme que son voisinage considère comme un stéréotype ; Nadia, 5 ans, vit dans les bidonvilles de Casablanca où elle est entourée d'un mur qui la sépare du reste de la ville ; Godelive, 10 ans, vit dans un pensionnat catholique en Congo y recevant une éducation occidentale. Mais le souvenir de sa grand-mère s’interpose ; Zeinab, qui a neuf ans, ne veux pas vivre au Canada parce qu’elle n’aime pas la neige; Aida, 8 ans, tente de soulager la souffrance de sa mère après que le père amène une seconde femme à la maison; Shula, qui a neuf ans, accusée de sorcellerie et mise dans un camp de sorcières, rêve de liberté. Aya, 7 ans, vit avec ses parents salafistes, Mariem et Youssef. Par peur d'être banni par sa communauté salafiste, Youssef est contraint d'imposer le port du Niqab à sa femme. Un jour, Aya commet un acte qui bouleversera à jamais le destin de sa famille. Casablanca, fin des années 70. Hiba, âgée de 11 ans, est fascinée par le cinéma à un moment de l'histoire du Maroc où ce lieu est encore fermé à la gente féminine. Malgré l'interdiction de sa mère, elle est prête à revendre l'objet de son autre passion, ses livres, pour y entrer.

Ashia by/de Françoise Ellong Cameroon |Cameroun)

A Place for Myself | Une place pour moi by/de Marie Clémentine Dusabejambo (Rwanda)

Behind the Wall | Derrière le mur by/de Karima Zoubir (Morocco | Maroc)

I am not a witch | Je ne suis pas une sorcière by/de Rungano Nyoni (Zambia | Zambie)

Maman(s) by/de Maïmouna Doucouré (France-Senegal)

Riad de mes rêves | Riad of my dreams by/de Zineb Tamourt  (Morocco | Maroc)

Soeur Oyo | Sister Oyo by/de Monique Mbeka Phoba

Zaineb Hates the Snow | Zaineb n’aime pas la neige by/de Kaouther Ben Hania (Tunisia |Tunisie)

Aya by/de Moufida Fedhila (Tunisia | Tunisie)

The girl-child as main protagonist in a selection of recent films by African women | La petite fille comme protagoniste principale dans une sélection de films récents par les réalisatrices africaines

The girl-child as main protagonist in a selection of recent films by African women  

La petite fille comme protagoniste principale dans une sélection de films récents par les réalisatrices africaines

[English]

The filmmakers' message of tolerance and universal humanism comes through the children…child characters are represented as the hope for the desirable gender relations. (Sr. Dr. Dominica Dipio)

In the selection of films that follow, the girl-child plays the main protagonist. This representation of the girl character is an empowering practice as she deals with complex issues regarding her family and the world around her: Five-year-old Nadia lives in the slums of Casablanca where she is surrounded by a wall that separates her from the rest of the city; Elikia, is a five-year old with albinism, which is considered a stereotype by her neighbors; nine-year-old Zeinab opposes moving to Canada because she hates the snow; ten-year-old Mouna who copes with the death of her mother, almost never separates from her doll Ashia; ten-year-old Godelive attends a Catholic convent school in the Congo. However, the strict western education collides with her own memories of the traditions of her grandmother; eight-year-old Aida attempts to ease the suffering of her mother after her father brings a second wife into the household; after being accused of being a witch and placed in a "witches camp", 9-year-old Shula longs for freedom. Seven-year-old Aya lives with her Salafist parents, Mariem and Youssef. For fear of being banished by his Salafist community, Youssef is obliged to impose the wearing of Niqab on his wife. One day, Aya commits an act that will disrupt forever the fate of her family. Casablanca of the late 1970s. Eleven-year-old Hiba is fascinated with the cinema at a time in the history of Morocco where this space is still closed to women. Despite her mother’s interdiction, in order to enter the movie house, Hiba is ready to sell the object of her other passion, her books. Eleven-year-old pre-teen Amy discovers in her new elementary school a group of dancers called: “Les Mignonnes”. Fascinated, she begins a sexy dance, the twerk, hoping to join their band and escape a family upheaval.

[Français]

Le message de tolérance et d'humanisme universel des cinéastes passe par les enfants ... les personnages d'enfants sont représentés comme l'espoir des relations de genre souhaitables. (Sr. Dr. Dominica Dipio)

Dans une sélection de films récents ci-dessous, la petite fille joue le rôle principal. Cette représentation cinématographique nous montre une image forte et valorisante de la petite fille, lorsqu’elle confronte des questions complexes concernant sa famille et le monde qui l’entoure : Mouna, 10 ans, qui fait face à la mort de sa mère, ne se sépare presque jamais de sa poupée Aisha ; Elikia, 5 ans, est atteinte d’albinisme que son voisinage considère comme un stéréotype ; Nadia, 5 ans, vit dans les bidonvilles de Casablanca où elle est entourée d'un mur qui la sépare du reste de la ville ; Godelive, 10 ans, vit dans un pensionnat catholique en Congo y recevant une éducation occidentale. Mais le souvenir de sa grand-mère s’interpose ; Zeinab, qui a neuf ans, ne veux pas vivre au Canada parce qu’elle n’aime pas la neige; Aida, 8 ans, tente de soulager la souffrance de sa mère après que le père amène une seconde femme à la maison; Shula, qui a neuf ans, accusée de sorcellerie et mise dans un camp de sorcières, rêve de liberté. Aya, 7 ans, vit avec ses parents salafistes, Mariem et Youssef. Par peur d'être banni par sa communauté salafiste, Youssef est contraint d'imposer le port du Niqab à sa femme. Un jour, Aya commet un acte qui bouleversera à jamais le destin de sa famille. Casablanca, fin des années 70. Hiba, âgée de 11 ans, est fascinée par le cinéma à un moment de l'histoire du Maroc où ce lieu est encore fermé à la gente féminine. Malgré l'interdiction de sa mère, elle est prête à revendre l'objet de son autre passion, ses livres, pour y entrer. Amy, 11 ans, rencontre un groupe de danseuses appelé : « Les Mignonnes ». Fascinée, elle s’initie à une danse sensuelle, dans l’espoir d’intégrer leur bande et de fuir un bouleversement familial.

Ashia by/de Françoise Ellong Cameroon |Cameroun)

A Place for Myself | Une place pour moi by/de Marie Clémentine Dusabejambo (Rwanda)

 

Aya by/de Moufida Fedhila (Tunisia | Tunisie)

Behind the Wall | Derrière le mur by/de Karima Zoubir (Morocco | Maroc)

I am not a witch | Je ne suis pas une sorcière by/de Rungano Nyoni (Zambia | Zambie)

 

Les Mignonnes | Cuties by/de Maïmouna Doucouré (France-Senegal)

Maman(s) by/de Maïmouna Doucouré (France-Senegal)

Riad de mes rêves | Riad of my dreams by/de Zineb Tamourt (Morocco | Maroc)

Soeur Oyo | Sister Oyo by/de Monique Mbeka Phoba (Belgium-DRC)

Zaineb Hates the Snow | Zaineb n’aime pas la neige by/de Kaouther Ben Hania (Tunisia |Tunisie)

Also see : UN International Day of the Girl Child | Journée internationale de la fille

https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2018/10/11-october-octobre-2018-international.html

UPDATED | MISE A JOUR : 16 / 10 / 2020

Les Femmes d’Afrique aux César 2017 : Palmarès | Women of Africa at the César 2017 Awards

Les Femmes d’Afrique aux César : Palmarès  

Women of Africa at the César Awards

Best First film - Meilleur Premier film
Divines by/de Houda Benyamina

Best Supporting Actress - Meilleure Actrice dans un second rôle
Déborah Lukumuena (Divines)

Most Promising Actress - Espoir féminin
Oulaya Amamra (Divines)

Best Short film - Meilleur Film de court métrage (ex aequo)

Maman(s) by/de Maïmouna Doucouré et Vers la tendresse (Towards Tenderness) by/d’Alice Diop

http://www.academie-cinema.org/ceremonie/palmares.html 

DIVINES

CESAR_2017_MEILLEUR_1ER_FILM_DIVINES_+_MEILLEURE_ACTRICE_DANS_UN_SECOND_ROLE_O.AMAMRA_ET_D.LUKUMUENA from Académie des César on Vimeo.

Synopsis

[English]

In a suburb where trafficking and religion run side by side, Dounia is eager for power and success. Supported by Maimouna, her best friend, she decides to follow in the footsteps of Rebecca, a respected dealer. But when Dounia meets Djigui, a young sensuous dancer, her daily life is disrupted.

[Français]

Dans une banlieue où se côtoient trafics et religion, Dounia a soif de pouvoir et de réussite. Soutenue par Maimouna, sa meilleure amie, elle décide de suivre les traces de Rebecca, une dealeuse respectée. Sa rencontre avec Djigui, un jeune danseur troublant de sensualité, va bouleverser sa vie.

Best First film - Meilleur Premier film 
Divines by/de Houda Benyamina

Best Supporting Actress - Meilleure Actrice dans un second rôle

Déborah Lukumuena (Divines)

Most Promising Actress - Espoir féminin

Oulaya Amamra (Divines)

BEST SHORT FILM |FILM DE COURT METRAGE (ex aequo)
Maman(s):  Maïmouna Doucouré et Vers la tendresse (Towards Tenderness): Alice Diop

Maman(s) by/de Maïmouna Doucouré

Synopsis

[English]

Eight-year-old Aida lives in an apartment in a suburb of Paris. The day her father returns from his trip to Senegal, their country of origin, the daily life of Aida and the whole family is totally disrupted: the father did not return alone, he was accompanied by a young Senegalese woman, Rama, who he presents as his second wife. Aida, sensitive to her mother’s suffering, decides to get rid of the newcomer.

[Français]

Aida, huit ans, habite un appartement de banlieue parisienne. Le jour où son père rentre de son voyage au Sénégal, leur pays d'origine, le quotidien d'Aida et de toute la famille est complètement bouleversé : le père n'est pas revenu seul, il est accompagné d'une jeune sénégalaise, Rama, qu'il présente comme sa seconde femme. Aida, sensible au désarroi de sa mère, décide alors de se débarrasser de la nouvelle venue.

MAMAN(S)_CESAR_2017_MEILLEUR_COURT_METRAGE from Académie des César on Vimeo.

Vers la tendresse (Towards Tenderness) by/d’Alice Diop

Alice Diop:

[English]

"Towards tenderness - four young men speaking freely, locked in their sexual and romantic representations or on the verge of getting out of it."

[Français]

"Au cours d'un atelier sur le thème de l'amour, j'ai rencontré quatre jeunes hommes tous originaires de Seine Saint-Denis. J'ai enregistré nos conversations. J'ai eu envie de faire de ces voix un film."

VERS_LA_TENDRESSE_CESAR_2017_MEILLEUR_COURT_METRAGE from Académie des César on Vimeo.

African Diasporas. “Maman(s)” by/de Maïmouna Doucouré : César 2017 Selection officielle court métrage | Official Selection Short Film (France)

 “Maman(s)” by/de Maïmouna Doucouré :

César 2017

Selection officielle court métrage

Official Selection Short Film

(France)

Selection officielle court métrage César 2017

Synopsis

[English]

Eight-year-old Aida lives in an apartment in a suburb of Paris. The day her father returns from his trip to Senegal, their country of origin, the daily life of Aida and the whole family is totally disrupted: the father did not return alone, he was accompanied by a young Senegalese woman, Rama, who he presents as his second wife. Aida, sensitive to her mother’s suffering, decides to get rid of the newcomer.

[Français]

Aida, huit ans, habite un appartement de banlieue parisienne. Le jour où son père rentre de son voyage au Sénégal, leur pays d'origine, le quotidien d'Aida et de toute la famille est complètement bouleversé : le père n'est pas revenu seul, il est accompagné d'une jeune sénégalaise, Rama, qu'il présente comme sa seconde femme. Aida, sensible au désarroi de sa mère, décide alors de se débarrasser de la nouvelle venue.

African Diasporas. Maman(s) by/de Maïmouna Doucouré: Sundance Short Film Jury Award - International Fiction | Prix du Best Short Film International Fiction à Sundance

Maman(s) by/de Maïmouna Doucouré: Sundance Short Film Jury Award - International Fiction | Prix du Best Short Film International Fiction à Sundance.

Unifrance website : Mother(s) : http://en.unifrance.org/movie/40463/mother-s 

Unifrance website: Maman(s) : http://www.unifrance.org/film/40463/maman-s 

Image : Facebook-Bien ou Bien Productions 

(video screen grab)

Synopsis

[English]

Eight-year-old Aida lives in an apartment in a suburb of Paris. The day her father returns from his trip to Senegal, their country of origin, the daily life of Aida and the whole family is totally disrupted: the father did not return alone, he was accompanied by a young Senegalese woman, Rama, who he presents as his second wife. Aida, sensitive to her mother’s suffering, decides to get rid of the newcomer.

[Français]

Aida, huit ans, habite un appartement de banlieue parisienne. Le jour où son père rentre de son voyage au Sénégal, leur pays d'origine, le quotidien d'Aida et de toute la famille est complètement bouleversé : le père n'est pas revenu seul, il est accompagné d'une jeune sénégalaise, Rama, qu'il présente comme sa seconde femme. Aida, sensible au désarroi de sa mère, décide alors de se débarrasser de la nouvelle venue.

 

Maman(s)-Teaser from Bien ou Bien Productions on Vimeo.

LINKS | LIENS 

A review/une critique by/par CLAIRE DIAO :

English: (Translation from French) The mothers of Maïmouna Doucouré

Français : Les mamans de Maïmouna Doucouré (Version originale publié le 30 avril 2015 sur Bondy Blog en partenariat avec Libération)

The mothers of Maïmouna Doucouré | Les mamans de Maïmouna Doucouré. A review/une critique by/par Claire Diao

The mothers of Maïmouna Doucouré | Les mamans de Maïmouna Doucouré. A review/une critique by/par CLAIRE DIAO

SOURCE: Bondy Blog en partenariat avec Libération | in partnership with Libération by/par CLAIRE DIAO (30/04/2015). Translated from French by Beti Ellerson

http://www.bondyblog.fr/201501281100/les-mamans-de-maimouna-doucoure/#.V7FGXulh0y4

du Comedy Cl

Cliquez ici pour lire l'article en version originale publié le 30 avril 2015 sur Bondy Blog en partenariat avec Libération

TALENTS EN COURT (Talents in Short). With her second short film Maman(s), 30-year-old Maïmouna Doucouré discusses the upheaval of polygamy through the eyes of a child.

After the premiere of her short film Maman(s) at the UGC Ciné Cité 19 in Paris, she glows, having gathered nearly 300 viewers and amassed as many reactions. Maman(s) was presented within the framework of Talents en Court initiated by the CNC and the association Friends of the of the Comedy Club. With the film Maimouna Doucouré knew she was confronting a taboo subject: polygamy, out of which she was "born" and by which she was inspired. "For me it's a film about love, and how a little girl interprets this love through her parents."

Although tolerated in some countries and prohibited in France, Maimouna Doucouré testifies that all around her this is a “common” practice, leaving more scars than one may imagine: "some of my friends have been damaged by polygamy because the children are not at all considered. Until one day it shows in their grades or they begin to act out. There is a real problem of communication in many families."

Born in Paris in 1985 of Senegalese parents, her mother, a shopkeeper and her father, a garbage collector, Maimouna Doucouré experienced a "beautiful" childhood full of "laughter and adventure". In the middle of a family of ten children, she is the fifth. She qualifies the 19th district of Paris where she grew up, as a true "melting pot", oscillating between "stressfulness and kindness."

A good student, "I was lucky to have parents who put a great emphasis on education even if they themselves did not go to school". Maimouna Doucouré took acting classes given by an organisation; then she wanted to follow an S academic track. "Are you crazy? It's too hard!" say her friends and career counsellors. "Since then, the more I am told that something is impossible, the more I go towards it," having obtained the baccalauréat in the subject matter she desired.

Though she earned a degree in Biology from the University of Paris 6, Maimouna Doucouré realised that something was missing. The need to express herself: "I have always thought that ‘perhaps one day’... I knew that the things within me had to come out." Ever since childhood, with her older brothers, she consumed films, on television or VHS: "Scarface, The Godfather, Boyz N the Hood, Freddy... It is with them that I discovered cinema."

Determined not to miss out on her calling, Maimouna Doucouré worked to absorb her experiences at the Laboratoire de l’Acteur (Laboratory for the Actor) in the 11th district of Paris (350 € per month!) where she trained in acting. Then by chance she learns about a call for applications at the HLM sur Court(t) Festival. In two days, the text is written and sent. Some time later, the phone rings. Winner. "I told myself, this is a sign. Then I asked myself: how is a film made?".

After calling friends and searching for information on the Internet, Maimouna Doucouré manages from A to Zed the shooting of Cache-cache (Hide and Seek) a short film with ten children, which won the third prize at the HLM sur Court(t) Festival and Special Mention from the Jury at the Generation Court d’Aubervilliers.

During another festival, she met the Bordeaux-based director and producer Zangro who offered to produce her next short film. "He encouraged me a lot. With him I realized that it is when you think your script is finished that the work begins." Together, they amassed the support of CNC, France 3, TV7 Bordeaux and the Region Aquitaine to shoot Maman(s).

If this believer of unlimited possibilities appreciates In the Mood For Love, La séparation, Breaking the Waves, Incendies, Les 400 coups, Amélie Poulain or Welcome, the representation of the minority populations in French cinema seems to be lagging behind. "In films, black people still play the roles of nannies, maids... And outside of cinema, they are still doing advertisements for condoms, AIDS... As if we did not eat yogurt. If all minority groups one day stopped being consumers, people would realise that they do exist."

So, to make films, not "films of the..." Maimouna Doucouré aspires to make films "that are thought provoking," with actors "beyond stereotypes", that in France one day it is possible to "make things happen and create that which does not exist".

Crédit photo : Julia Cordonnier pour Les ami(e)s du Comedy Club