Saturday 20 April, 11:00
M Leuven, Leopold Vanderkelenstraat 28, 3000 Leuven

UNESCO Competition 1

XAAR YALLA (Waiting God)

VO Wolof | ST English

A few years ago, Mamadou Khouma Gueye stumbled upon the apocalyptic ambiance in Saint-Louis, a city in northern Senegal plagued by floods. A few months later, he returned to comprehend how this dreadful yet cinematic ambiance had come into being. The atmosphere was weighty, homes and mundane objects being devoured by the sea. Men and women struggled fruitlessly.

Xaar Yalla focuses on three female protagonists from different generations who play an active role in this emergency situation. They recount the encroaching sea in this parcel of land sandwiched between the Senegal River and the Atlantic Ocean.

Quirino, 76, has lived all his life in the Cape Verdean ghost village of Ribeira Funda, which was deserted 40 years ago. In 1983, a man was killed by a rock that broke loose following heavy rainfall. As a result, all the villagers moved to nearby Estância de Brás—all except Quirino. 

“Life in Cabo Verde is really hard. It doesn’t give any stability. It’s like a boat without a keel,” he says in this thoughtful and melancholy portrait. Quirino notices that he is becoming increasingly stiff and forgetful. He faces a dilemma: should he stay or should he leave the only place he has ever known, to live out his last days elsewhere?

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Flemish  UNESCO Commission Competition

9th edition

Five films were nominated for the Prize of the Flemish UNESCO Commission 2024 around the theme of Water. This is part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 6). Water is at the heart of sustainable development. Thus, water resources can contribute in various ways to poverty reduction, economic growth and environmental protection. In this way, water is not only a source of life and a daily concern for many but also the basis for many cultures and traditions. It becomes central to the formation of cultural identity as well as spirituality, thus becoming a universal good that should be and remain accessible to all.

The winner of the ninth edition of the UNESCO competition will be announced by the jury at the Awards Night, on 27 April. 

The five nominated documentaries each have their own approach on the theme of water. AFF undertakes to further disseminate the laureate film in Flanders with the support of the VUC.