Dahomey (17:30, Cinema ZED)
Zondag 28 april, 17:30
Cinema ZED Vesalius, Andreas Vesaliusstraat 9c, 3000 Leuven
DAHOMEY
Mati Diop / Senegal, Benin, Frankrijk / 2023 / 66min
Cast: Gildas Adannou, Habib Ahandessi, Joséa Guedje
VO: French
ST: Dutch
November 2021. 26 royal treasures of the Kingdom of Dahomey are about to leave Paris to return to their country of origin, present-day Benin. In 1892, thousands of these artefacts were looted by French colonial troops. How should the country relate to these artefacts, their grandparents, returning to a country that had to move forward without them for centuries? The debate flares up among students at the University of Abomey-Calavi.
French-Senegalese director Mati Diop creates a short but powerful hybrid documentary that not only questions the role of looted art but also shines a new light on the obfuscations of colonial history and its injustices.
Diop succeeds artistically in reflecting the demands of a new, critical, generation.
Dahomey won the Golden Bear at the Berlinale 2024.