Six African films are being screened at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, which opens this week and runs until May 24th. The choice spans historical fiction, social dramas and crime thrillers. It is set in Tunis, Cairo, Yound, Lagos and Jerada. The work explored transition, memory, justice and belonging, gave the community a voice and was often left out of the spotlight.
Sky has promised to express certain respects.
Erige Sehili, director of Franco Tunician, returns to Cannes in the promised sky and opens the UN Respect section. Her previous films widely praised her focus on women’s lives and quiet resilience under the fig tree.
Sehiri’s new story centers around Marie, a pastor of Ibolia who lives in Tunis. He opens her door to two young women, a mother who is looking for a better life, and Jolie, a determined student. Their fragile household is shaken when they take Kenza, a young girl who survived the wreck.
Set against the backdrop of growing hostility towards sub-Saharan immigrants in Tunisia, the film explores themes of solidarity, migration and exploration of identity.
Aisha shows her life in a relationship that cannot fly
Morad Mostafa’s debut feature, the Aisha Can’t Fly Away, and a screen to express tribute to the United Nations. It follows Aisha, a 26-year-old Somali care worker who lives in Ain Shams, a working-class neighbour in Cairo, a large immigrant population.
Violence between local gangs and various communities is a constant threat, and authorities are changing their blindness. Based on Mostafa’s own experience growing up in the area, the film offers an intimate and sometimes unstable view of everyday life for Egyptian immigrants.
Previous short for Mostafa, I promised Paradise, appearing in the week of Cannes Critics in 2023, winning the Poulain D’Or Award at this year’s Fespaco Festival. Aisha has not been able to mark Egypt’s first return to Croisette since the 2016 crash.
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This toilet brings Cameroonian noir to Cannes
French Cameroonian actor and comedian Thomas Nguillore will surprise audiences with Indomptables, the director’s gritty thriller chosen for two weeks. The film follows Commissioner Biron, investigating the murder of a Yound police officer.
Inspired by the crimes of Abidjan, a documentary from Mosco Levi Boucault, the story explores justice, corruption and personal limitations in a violent and broken society. Ngijol played the lead role himself, and the film was shot entirely in the capital of Cameroon.
“The cast ensemble is perfect,” the selection team said. “Thomas Ngijol is absolutely extraordinary not only as a director but also as an actor.” The team described the film as a powerful and unexpected addition from Cameroon.
Father’s shadow is Nigeria’s first
Nigerian films are part of the official competition in Cannes for the first time. The shadow of his father by Akinola Davies Jr. is set during Nigeria’s 1993 presidential election. This is the country’s first attempt to return to civilian rule after years of military leadership.
The vote is widely viewed as the most equitable in the country’s history, and was nullified by General Ibrahim Babangida, causing massive protests. Afterwards, about 100 people died.
In the midst of that chaos, the film follows two brothers who spend the day together in Lagos. A blend of fiction and autobiography, Davis reflects the weight of family, power and political memory.
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L’Mina reveals a hidden miner in Morocco
In the town of Jerada in Morocco, coal mining never stopped despite the official fish closure in 2001. France-Moroccan visual artist and filmmaker Randa Maloofy reconstructs the reality of this underground economy in a 26-minute short story.
The film features a Jerada residents who play themselves, playing scenes drawn from everyday life. This collaborative approach offers a raw, authentic glimpse of community resilience and wit.
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L’Mina is screened in Critics Week and is Maroufi’s fifth short film.
Life after Shiham explores sadness and memories
Life after Siham by Namir Abdel Messeeh, director of Franco -Egyptian, is an emotional documentary of Acid’s choice.
Following the sudden death of his mother, Siham, Abdel Messie revisits family archives, old home videos and childhood memories. Through his investigation into his family history between Egypt and France, the film becomes both a personal and personal journey into sadness, memory and identity.
Messy’s early films, Our Lady, The Cop and Me, combined humor and cultural reflection. This new work clashes with a more introspective tone.
Ukraine, Gaza and #metoo are in the spotlight as the Cannes Film Festival begins
This article was adopted from the original French version by Yannle NY of RFI
