Films with: Kouyaté, Sotigui

Golem : l'esprit de l'exil Golem : nedudim = Golem : the spirit of exile /

The famous story of a patriarch whose sons are murdered, and whose widow forges an enduring friendship with her daughter-in-law Ruth, is transposed to Paris. Here, in a world of immigrants, the two women are exiled from France and wander the seas. Fuses Biblical tales of exile with the legend of the Golem into a parable for our time.

DVD 2324

Keïta! l'héritage du griot = The heritage of the griot /

Based on an important work of African oral literature, the Sundjata epic. When a djéliba, a master griot or bard, arrives mysteriously at the home of Mabo Keïta to teach him "the meaning of his name," the boy and griot are inevitably brought into conflict with his Westernized mother and schoolteacher, who have rejected African tradition. The griot reveals to Mabo the story of his distant ancestor, Sundjata Keïta, the 13th century founder of the great Malian trading empire.

DVD 5574

Little Senegal

Alloune, a guide at tourist site devoted to the history of slavery in Senegal, immigrates to New York City and falls in love.

DVD 3829

London river

Follows Elizabeth as she travels to London in the immediate aftermath of the bombings on July 7, 2005, after failing to hear from her daughter. Elizabeth is disturbed by the confusion of the metropolis and above all, by the predominantly Muslim neighborhood where her daughter lived. Her fear and prejudice escalate when she discovers her daughter was converting to Islam as she keeps crossing paths with Ousmane, a West African who has come from France to find his missing son.

DVD 8944

Noms n'habitent nulle part Names live nowhere /

Presented in the style of a documentary, the film's title comes from a Senegalese proverb, and points to the circumstance of the individual spirit no matter the place. Starting from the back alleys of Dakar, a travelling griot (a West African term for a performer of local traditions, customs, and histories) tells tales of emigrant Africans he knew and subsequently sees during a trip to Belgium. As the griot compares their lives with the lives of those they had left behind, all concerned face the question of whether personally-held traditions and beliefs can survive in unfamiliar places, far away from those who would keep them alive. Real-life griot Sotigui Kouyaté plays the films' storyteller, interpreting the role through his personal knowledge of the art form.

DVD 6600

Sia le rêve du python = Sia, the dream of the python /

Tasuma: The story of Sogo Sanou, aka Tasuma, a former French soldier who was a member of the African troops known as the Tiralleurs Senegalais, which fought hard for France. Sanou has been trying for over 50 years to obtain his well-deserved military pension. Convinced he will receive the money, he buys a mill on credit for the village. When the money does not arrive, Sanou is put in prison. The women of the village rally to set him free. Sia: Kombi is a poverty-stricken city dominated by a tyrant king. In order to bring back prosperity, the king is advised by his priests to make the traditional human sacrifice of a young virgin to a mystical snake god. Sia, the most beautiful young woman in the village, is chosen. Lieutenant Mamadi, her fiancé, rebels against the decision to perform this ritual, and the village becomes divided. Struggles and revelations follow as the villagers confront issues of honor, corruption and power.

DVD 7740

Sotigui Kouyaté un Griot moderne = Sotigui Kouyaté : a modern Griot /

Griot is a West African term that refers to a poet, praise singer, or wandering musician who acts as a repository of oral tradition, preserving and sharing the cultures they interact with. Filmmaker Mahamat-Saleh Haroun presents well-known West African Griot, musician, and actor Sotigui Kouyaté, through travels and interviews with Kouyaté, his family and friends, both in his adopted home of France and his childhood home in West Africa. The film follows Kouyate's career, starting from the childhood experience of his favorite entertainments being replaced by French settlers' formal theatre, through early acting work in Burkina Faso, to Kouyate's eventual arrival in French theatre. Moving with Kouyaté through a number of very different cultures, the film demonstrates Kouyaté's long-standing efforts to share the indigenous arts and heritage of West Africa, including his founding of "The Griot's voice" acting company in France and the Mandeka Theatre in Bamako, Mali.

DVD 7741