The director, a married woman without children, deals with the issue of infertility in the country of Niger, by sharing stories of stigmatized wives, husbands who refuse to be tested (or who abandon the women and take up with other wives.) The project was inspired by the death of the director’s own mother in childbirth.Read More »
Based on a traditional African tale.
A king has the habit of listening to the wishes of his people whilst walking in disguise on the streets of his kingdom. One day he overhears two brothers daydreaming of marrying the king’s daughters, even if it meant being beheaded one year later. The weddings take place and one of the brothers is decapitated one year later. The other one escapes at his wife’s insistence. On a long journey full of surprising incidents our hero becomes king of a village, with wives and subjects. But his earlier promise haunts him, and in order to save his family he accepts to be sacrificed.Read More »
Tiyaa, a beautiful young woman from an aristocratic family, returns after a study in Paris to her place of birth, the Sultanate of Zinder in Niger. Her girlfriends and aunts soon notice that a shadow of sorrow hangs over her. She had to leave her lover behind in Paris and she is at a loose end back home. During a consultation with a zimma, a wise old man, she is advised to wait for the new moon to perform a love ritual.Until that time, she roams the community having conversations with women of all ages, who offer her an insight into their love life and sensuality, taboos and culturally-defined codes, with a dash of mysticism. The Wedding Ring is also a lyrical love letter to the traditional customs of the Sahel, with an eye for the beautiful clothing and an elegant production design.Read More »
Quote:
A sorcerer (played by the director himself) controls all activities in a village. Manipulating the different parties, the sorcerer promises love, good health and riches in exchange for the most extravagant rewards. One day someone exposes him, and the sorcerer becomes the laughing stock of the whole village. Desperate, he throws himself off a cliff.Read More »
Synopsis:
Zerzura is a feature-length ethnofiction shot in the Sahara desert. Mixing folktales and documentary, the film follows a young man from Niger who leaves home in search of an enchanted oasis.Read More »
Summary from the Rotterdam Film Festival:
Ali is the image of modern Africa. He happily returns from a football match on his motorbike but a nasty surprise is waiting for him at his parents’ home: he finds Haoua, his bride-to-be, waiting for him. The wedding is celebrated shortly afterwards and the two begin living together under the same roof. They are strangers but cannot stand each other. Haoua is the classic traditional woman who has just arrived from the village, God-fearing and faithful to the laws of tradition. Ali’s friends advise him to look for a second wife. He meets Henriette, an uninhibited and provocative city girl, the woman of his dreams. To meet Henriette’s constant requests, Ali ‘borrows’ some money from the coffers of commander Soleymane, but he is discovered and ends up in prison. Henriette is furious and leaves him, whilst Haoua cries for him in despair.Read More »
Summary from the IFFR website:
This Djerma legend concerns a cruel king who cunningly puts the wife of one of his subjects to the test. Her humble fisherman spouse is sent away with a ruse and given a ring, to return in a year’s time. Can the wife be faithful and the husband return the ring?Read More »
In a district of Niamey, in Niger, craftsmen and consumers save all that is possible and “make new with the old.”Read More »
The gods have declared the drought of the country. There seems to be no hope. A holy man summoned by the king requires the sacrifice of a young woman to put an end to their anger. A young man in love decides to go in search of water to save the girl from a tragic end, but when he returns with good news it’s too late: the genie had his satisfaction and Toula has already disappeared in the holy swamp.Read More »