Little Senegal (Film)

  • Sotigui Kouyaté: Alloune
  • Sharon Hope: Ida
  • Roschdy Zem: Karim
  • Karim Koussein - Traoré: Hassan

Little Senegal is a feature film by Rachid Bouchareb from the year 2001.

Action

Alloune is retired and a widower. The 65- year-old man has been working for decades on the island of Gorée Dakar before the Museum of the History of slaves. Now in retirement, he fulfilled a dream. He travels to the U.S. to see the other side of the story of the slaves. Alloune moves to South Carolina, where he visited a former plantation, which documented as a museum the life of slaves and slave owners. His nephew Hassan lives in New York City in the so-called Little Senegal, the Senegalese community in Harlem. Yet the world of blacks is just as foreign to the Africans, and suddenly he finds out that there's even racism among blacks. The U.S. Colored put themselves above the Africans. He is struggling to catch up. Only when he meets his relatives Ida Robinson, he feels more comfortable. Ida runs a newspaper stand and Alloune offers work. The agile woman is for Alloune for visual example of the life of former African slaves in America today. But for Ida Alloune is slowly becoming intrusive. Back in Senegal Alloune visited his old workplace. A young museum guide has taken over his occupation and describes the tourists the story of the transportation of slaves to America. However, the young man does not speak in the affected styles Allounes, but the tourists trying to entertain with his stories. Alloune looks out to sea, to where America is.

Reviews

"As a melancholy blues, the film tells in quiet, almost static images from the underlying racism and the insurmountable contradictions of cultures. The poetic film presents the "American way of life" in question is also a balance between strong feelings and critical distance place. "

Awards

The film was selected in 2001 for the Competition of the Berlinale, was at the award ceremony but left empty-handed. He was awarded several smaller festivals but numerous:

  • Mediterranean Film Festival Cologne 2001: Jury Prize for Rachid Bouchareb and Best Actor Award for Sotigui Kouyaté
  • Festroia in Setúbal, Portugal 2001: Jury Special Award and OCIC Award
  • African Film Festival in Milan 2001: Best Film
  • International Festival of Francophone Film in Namur, Belgium 2001: Golden Bayard for performer and director Rachid Bouchareb Sotigui Kouyaté
  • International Festival of Valladolid 2001: FIPRESCI Prize
France 2001 in film Screenplay Film score Safy Boutella Le Petit Senegal Seminci
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