Shot in dense, high-contrast black and white, writer-director C.J. “Fiery” Obasi’s “Mami Wata,” unspools like a mysterious dream. It’s both inscrutable and hypnotic, delivering indelible images while remaining narratively opaque. Billed as a “West African folklore,” its story could be taken as a straightforward fable about tradition vs. modernity and how power corrupts. But as its plot unravels, confounding layers surface beneath that easy explanation. “Mami Wata,” a Sundance discovery selected to be Nigeria’ official Oscar submission, keeps the audience entranced if never truly engaged.
Taking its cues from the legend of the female water spirit revered in that part of the world, Obasi’s story centers on Mama Efe (Rita Edochie), a medium and healer who claims to hold the keys to the all-powerful Mami Wata. The inhabitants of the isolated oceanside village shower Mama Efe with crops and gifts in an effort to win over the water deity.
Taking its cues from the legend of the female water spirit revered in that part of the world, Obasi’s story centers on Mama Efe (Rita Edochie), a medium and healer who claims to hold the keys to the all-powerful Mami Wata. The inhabitants of the isolated oceanside village shower Mama Efe with crops and gifts in an effort to win over the water deity.
- 12/8/2023
- by Murtada Elfadl
- Variety Film + TV
Discontent stirs in a village that has rejected modern life to follow a faith healer said to be the representative of the title’s water spirit
This visually beautiful and charismatically acted film is a fierce expressionist reverie or parable of power, shot in a lustrous, high-contrast black-and-white by cinematographer Lílis Soares. It is the work of Nigerian director Cj “Fiery” Obasi, whose nickname makes an interesting elemental contrast to his movie’s watery theme. His storytelling urgency and stripped-down minimalism reminded me at various stages of George Orwell and Julie Dash.
We are in a west African village called Iyi, which has ignored the modern world of science and technology in favour of worshipping the traditional water spirit Mami Wata, through her intermediary and representative on Earth, faith-healer Mama Efe (Rita Edochie), to whom tributes of food and money must be paid. But Efe’s daughter Zinwe (Uzoamaka Aniunoh...
This visually beautiful and charismatically acted film is a fierce expressionist reverie or parable of power, shot in a lustrous, high-contrast black-and-white by cinematographer Lílis Soares. It is the work of Nigerian director Cj “Fiery” Obasi, whose nickname makes an interesting elemental contrast to his movie’s watery theme. His storytelling urgency and stripped-down minimalism reminded me at various stages of George Orwell and Julie Dash.
We are in a west African village called Iyi, which has ignored the modern world of science and technology in favour of worshipping the traditional water spirit Mami Wata, through her intermediary and representative on Earth, faith-healer Mama Efe (Rita Edochie), to whom tributes of food and money must be paid. But Efe’s daughter Zinwe (Uzoamaka Aniunoh...
- 11/15/2023
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Exclusive: The Gotham Group has signed Nigerian filmmaker C.J. Obasi, whose latest feature Mami Wata is Nigeria’s entry for Best International Feature Oscar in the 96th Academy Awards.
Mami Wata world premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in its World Cinema – Dramatic section, where it won the cinematography prize.
Award-winning filmmaker Obasi’s previous credits include Ojuju (2014) and O-Town (2015), which screened at various festivals, including Gothenburg and Fantasia.
His short film, Hello, Rain (2018) premiered at Oberhausen and over 40 festivals, winning a Jury Prize at Fantasia, and the BFI Short Film Award nomination. Juju Stories (2021), an anthology film directed by the Surreal1 Collective, won the Boccalino D’oro Award for Best Film at Locarno.
Set in a remote West African village, Mami Wata follows the villagers who worship the Mermaid-deity Mami Wata and look for guidance from their healer Mama Efe (Rita Edochie), her daughter Zinwe (Uzoamaka Aniunoh) and protégé...
Mami Wata world premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in its World Cinema – Dramatic section, where it won the cinematography prize.
Award-winning filmmaker Obasi’s previous credits include Ojuju (2014) and O-Town (2015), which screened at various festivals, including Gothenburg and Fantasia.
His short film, Hello, Rain (2018) premiered at Oberhausen and over 40 festivals, winning a Jury Prize at Fantasia, and the BFI Short Film Award nomination. Juju Stories (2021), an anthology film directed by the Surreal1 Collective, won the Boccalino D’oro Award for Best Film at Locarno.
Set in a remote West African village, Mami Wata follows the villagers who worship the Mermaid-deity Mami Wata and look for guidance from their healer Mama Efe (Rita Edochie), her daughter Zinwe (Uzoamaka Aniunoh) and protégé...
- 11/14/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Nigeria has submitted Cj Obasi’s Sundance title Mami Wata as its candidate for the Best International Feature Film in the 96th Academy Awards.
Inspired by West African mermaid folklore and mythology, the black-and-white features stars Rita Edochie as a goddess facing waning influence in a remote struggling village.
Uzoamaka Aniunoh stars as her devoted daughter and Evelyne Ily Juhen as a skeptical protégé.
The deadline for submissions for Best International Feature Film was on October 2, but a number of countries are only announcing their selection now.
Home to Nollywood, Nigeria boasts Africa’s biggest film industry, but the country has yet to enjoy Oscar glory.
The fact that many of its films are in the country’s official language of English has made it difficult for the country to submit films for Best International Film Festival.
Its first-ever entry Lionheart in 2019 was disqualified because of the high percentage of English in the film.
Inspired by West African mermaid folklore and mythology, the black-and-white features stars Rita Edochie as a goddess facing waning influence in a remote struggling village.
Uzoamaka Aniunoh stars as her devoted daughter and Evelyne Ily Juhen as a skeptical protégé.
The deadline for submissions for Best International Feature Film was on October 2, but a number of countries are only announcing their selection now.
Home to Nollywood, Nigeria boasts Africa’s biggest film industry, but the country has yet to enjoy Oscar glory.
The fact that many of its films are in the country’s official language of English has made it difficult for the country to submit films for Best International Film Festival.
Its first-ever entry Lionheart in 2019 was disqualified because of the high percentage of English in the film.
- 10/17/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
One of the most visually ravishing movies I saw at Sundance Film Festival early this year was C.J. “Fiery” Obasi’s Mami Wata, “A West Afrikan Folklore,” as our exclusive debut of the alternate poster notes. The black-and-white Nigerian feature brings a folk-futurist style to the tale of a battle between opportunistic militants promising technological progress and a matriarchal spiritual order living in fragile harmony with the ocean. Picked up by Dekanalog for a theatrical release beginning on September 29 at Bam in NYC and Chicago’s Gene Siskel Film Center, the film will expand in the weeks to follow.
Here’s the official synopsis: “In the oceanside village of Iyi, the revered Mama Efe (Rita Edochie) acts as an intermediary between the people and the all-powerful water deity Mami Wata. But when a young boy is lost to a virus, Efe’s devoted daughter Zinwe (Uzoamaka Aniunoh) and skeptical...
Here’s the official synopsis: “In the oceanside village of Iyi, the revered Mama Efe (Rita Edochie) acts as an intermediary between the people and the all-powerful water deity Mami Wata. But when a young boy is lost to a virus, Efe’s devoted daughter Zinwe (Uzoamaka Aniunoh) and skeptical...
- 9/6/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Director Cj “Fiery” Obasi (Ojuju) is back this year with the black & white Nigerian film Mami Wata, and Bloody Disgusting has been provided with the exclusive trailer reveal today.
Dekanalog brings Mami Wata to U.S. cinemas on September 29, 2023. The Sundance darling is currently 100% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, with 16 reviews posted at this time.
Here’s the official plot synopsis…
“In the oceanside village of Iyi, the revered Mama Efe (Rita Edochie) acts as an intermediary between the people and the all-powerful water deity Mami Wata. But when a young boy is lost to a virus, Efe’s devoted daughter Zinwe (Uzoamaka Aniunoh) and skeptical protégé Prisca (Evelyne Ily Juhen) warn Efe about unrest among the villagers. With the sudden arrival of a mysterious rebel deserter named Jasper (Emeka Amakeze), a conflict erupts, leading to a violent clash of ideologies and a crisis of faith for the people of Iyi.
Dekanalog brings Mami Wata to U.S. cinemas on September 29, 2023. The Sundance darling is currently 100% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, with 16 reviews posted at this time.
Here’s the official plot synopsis…
“In the oceanside village of Iyi, the revered Mama Efe (Rita Edochie) acts as an intermediary between the people and the all-powerful water deity Mami Wata. But when a young boy is lost to a virus, Efe’s devoted daughter Zinwe (Uzoamaka Aniunoh) and skeptical protégé Prisca (Evelyne Ily Juhen) warn Efe about unrest among the villagers. With the sudden arrival of a mysterious rebel deserter named Jasper (Emeka Amakeze), a conflict erupts, leading to a violent clash of ideologies and a crisis of faith for the people of Iyi.
- 9/5/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Exclusive: Dekanalog has picked up North American rights to the Sundance competition title Mami Wata, the third feature film from Nigerian filmmaker C.J. “Fiery” Obasi.
Based on West African mermaid folklore and mythology, Mami Wata is set in the remote West African village of Iyi, where Mama Efe (Rita Edochie) acts as an intermediary between the people and the all-powerful water deity Mami Wata, the synopsis reads. However, doubt is sown amongst the people when a young boy is lost to a virus, with Efe’s devoted daughter Zinwe (Uzoamaka Aniunoh) and skeptical protégé Prisca (Evelyne Ily Juhen) at a crossroads. The film picked up the Special Jury Award for Best Cinematography at Sundance.
The pic was shot entirely in the Mono Department in Benin, West Africa. The principle cast features Evelyne Ily, Uzoamaka Aniunoh, Kelechi Udegbe, Rita Edochie, and Tough Bone. Further credits include cinematography by Brazillian Dp Lílis Soares,...
Based on West African mermaid folklore and mythology, Mami Wata is set in the remote West African village of Iyi, where Mama Efe (Rita Edochie) acts as an intermediary between the people and the all-powerful water deity Mami Wata, the synopsis reads. However, doubt is sown amongst the people when a young boy is lost to a virus, with Efe’s devoted daughter Zinwe (Uzoamaka Aniunoh) and skeptical protégé Prisca (Evelyne Ily Juhen) at a crossroads. The film picked up the Special Jury Award for Best Cinematography at Sundance.
The pic was shot entirely in the Mono Department in Benin, West Africa. The principle cast features Evelyne Ily, Uzoamaka Aniunoh, Kelechi Udegbe, Rita Edochie, and Tough Bone. Further credits include cinematography by Brazillian Dp Lílis Soares,...
- 5/18/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
One of the best showcases of international cinema every year, the Museum of the Moving Image’s First Look festival is now in its 12th edition and we’re pleased to exclusively unveil the lineup. Taking place from March 15-19 at the hallowed Queens theater, the selection features 38 works, including 19 features representing more than 22 countries.
Highlights include some of our favorites on the festival circuit in the past year: at long last, the New York premiere of Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne’s Cannes prize-winner Tori and Lokita, along with other victors Rodeo and The Eight Mountains; recent Sundance premieres Babak Jalali’s Fremont, Mary Helena Clark & Mike Gibisser’s A Common Sequence, and C.J. “Fiery” Obasi’s Mami Wata; Lucrecia Martel’s new short Maid; Gastón Solnicki’s A Little Love Package; Koji Fukada’s Love Life; and much more.
MoMI Curator of Film Eric Hynes said, “The guiding...
Highlights include some of our favorites on the festival circuit in the past year: at long last, the New York premiere of Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne’s Cannes prize-winner Tori and Lokita, along with other victors Rodeo and The Eight Mountains; recent Sundance premieres Babak Jalali’s Fremont, Mary Helena Clark & Mike Gibisser’s A Common Sequence, and C.J. “Fiery” Obasi’s Mami Wata; Lucrecia Martel’s new short Maid; Gastón Solnicki’s A Little Love Package; Koji Fukada’s Love Life; and much more.
MoMI Curator of Film Eric Hynes said, “The guiding...
- 2/10/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
In C.J. “Fiery” Obasi’s Mami Wata, black becomes a canvas onto which the director paints a propulsive and vivid narrative. The shade takes on new roles and meanings in this feature about brewing ideological differences in a fictional West African village. Black shadows the waves crashing the shores as one character contemplates the fate of her people. Black sharpens the designs drawn in white paint on the faces of villagers. Black portends the sinister, the vengeful, the hopeful and the renewed faith swirling within an allegory for the slow creep of modernity.
The film takes place in Iyi, the village where Mami Wata, the water deity of West Africa and its diaspora cultures, has reigned via her intermediary Mama Efe (Rita Edochie) for decades. Obasi begins his wily, supernatural tale with generational tension: Mame Efe’s daughter Zinwe (Uzoamaka Aniunoh) storms out of their home after her mother...
The film takes place in Iyi, the village where Mami Wata, the water deity of West Africa and its diaspora cultures, has reigned via her intermediary Mama Efe (Rita Edochie) for decades. Obasi begins his wily, supernatural tale with generational tension: Mame Efe’s daughter Zinwe (Uzoamaka Aniunoh) storms out of their home after her mother...
- 2/1/2023
- by Lovia Gyarkye
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Editor’s note: This review was originally published at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Dekanalog releases the film in select theaters on Friday, September 29.
Mami Wata is a multifaceted figure whose personae is as diverse as the diaspora that venerates her. A patroness of beauty, money, and all things that ebb and flow, she’s sometimes depicted as being half-woman, half-fish. At other times, she’s shown with a gigantic serpent wrapped around her shoulders. She’s a relatively new deity who arose between the 15th and 20th centuries, a period when Africa became heavily involved in global trade. Her name comes from pidgin English, the language of commerce, and translates as “Mother Water.” She’s a water spirit, ruling over the seas that separated captive Africans from their homes and brought foreign people and influences to African shores, and she can be as benevolent or as cruel as the ocean itself.
Mami Wata is a multifaceted figure whose personae is as diverse as the diaspora that venerates her. A patroness of beauty, money, and all things that ebb and flow, she’s sometimes depicted as being half-woman, half-fish. At other times, she’s shown with a gigantic serpent wrapped around her shoulders. She’s a relatively new deity who arose between the 15th and 20th centuries, a period when Africa became heavily involved in global trade. Her name comes from pidgin English, the language of commerce, and translates as “Mother Water.” She’s a water spirit, ruling over the seas that separated captive Africans from their homes and brought foreign people and influences to African shores, and she can be as benevolent or as cruel as the ocean itself.
- 1/25/2023
- by Katie Rife
- Indiewire
Seven years before its Jan. 23 world premiere in Park City — the first-time that a homegrown Nigerian feature has scored a coveted slot in the World Cinema Dramatic competition at Sundance — C.J. Obasi’s “Mami Wata” began with a vision.
The director was sitting on a West African beach, in between projects and contemplating his next move. Suddenly, an apparition came to him: A mermaid standing on the ocean’s shore, beckoning to a mysterious young woman behind him.
“It was really vivid,” Obasi says. “It was in black and white. In the vision, the goddess’ eyes are red, but also very soft. There was a kindness to her eyes. When I came to, I said, Ok, so my next movie is ‘Mami Wata.’”
What followed was a personal and professional journey to understand that moment on the beach, and to breathe life into a movie about the titular mermaid-deity of West African folklore.
The director was sitting on a West African beach, in between projects and contemplating his next move. Suddenly, an apparition came to him: A mermaid standing on the ocean’s shore, beckoning to a mysterious young woman behind him.
“It was really vivid,” Obasi says. “It was in black and white. In the vision, the goddess’ eyes are red, but also very soft. There was a kindness to her eyes. When I came to, I said, Ok, so my next movie is ‘Mami Wata.’”
What followed was a personal and professional journey to understand that moment on the beach, and to breathe life into a movie about the titular mermaid-deity of West African folklore.
- 1/24/2023
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Stars: Yann Gael Loro, Roger Sallah, Mentor Ba, Renaud Farah, Bruno Henry, Evelyne Ily Juhen, Ndiaga Mbow | Written and Directed by Jean Luc Herbulot
I almost managed to see the Senegalese export Saloum on the big screen last year, before some schedule shuffling got in the way. Watching it now I wish I had managed to see it, and not just because of Gregory Corandi’s (Le Banc) cinematography. Writer/director Jean Luc Herbulot has fashioned a genre-jumping film that would be perfect to watch with an audience.
Saloum opens with a voice thoughtfully contemplating the nature of revenge before abruptly shifting to the scene of a massacre as the mercenaries known as The Bangui Hyenas, Chaka (Yann Gael Loro), Rafa (Roger Sallah) and Minuit (Mentor Ba) are finishing off anyone who might still be alive while uptempo dance music plays.
It’s 2003 and as a coup throws Guinea-Bissau into...
I almost managed to see the Senegalese export Saloum on the big screen last year, before some schedule shuffling got in the way. Watching it now I wish I had managed to see it, and not just because of Gregory Corandi’s (Le Banc) cinematography. Writer/director Jean Luc Herbulot has fashioned a genre-jumping film that would be perfect to watch with an audience.
Saloum opens with a voice thoughtfully contemplating the nature of revenge before abruptly shifting to the scene of a massacre as the mercenaries known as The Bangui Hyenas, Chaka (Yann Gael Loro), Rafa (Roger Sallah) and Minuit (Mentor Ba) are finishing off anyone who might still be alive while uptempo dance music plays.
It’s 2003 and as a coup throws Guinea-Bissau into...
- 9/9/2022
- by Jim Morazzini
- Nerdly
With summer (unofficially) over and the Halloween Season now in full swing, these weekly roundups are about to get very packed with fresh new horrors both at home and in theaters!
Eight brand new horror movies are releasing in this first full week of September, and trust me when I say even that makes for a quiet week compared to what’s coming soon.
Here’s all the new horror arriving September 6 – September 11, 2022!
First up, Dread’s Tiny Cinema was just unleashed On Demand yesterday, a horror anthology of multiversal madness that’s also coming to Blu-ray on October 11 of this year.
Sit back, relax, and get uncomfortable…
From the makers of Butt Boy, Tiny Cinema is said to be “a twisted tale of seemingly unconnected strangers whose lives will change in incredible and bizarre ways forever. As reality unravels, each person must battle incredible challenges from a multiverse seeking...
Eight brand new horror movies are releasing in this first full week of September, and trust me when I say even that makes for a quiet week compared to what’s coming soon.
Here’s all the new horror arriving September 6 – September 11, 2022!
First up, Dread’s Tiny Cinema was just unleashed On Demand yesterday, a horror anthology of multiversal madness that’s also coming to Blu-ray on October 11 of this year.
Sit back, relax, and get uncomfortable…
From the makers of Butt Boy, Tiny Cinema is said to be “a twisted tale of seemingly unconnected strangers whose lives will change in incredible and bizarre ways forever. As reality unravels, each person must battle incredible challenges from a multiverse seeking...
- 9/7/2022
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
We might be in the mid-August, dog days of summer, but horror season is just around the corner. Spirit Halloween stores have popped up and are open, Pumpkin Spice Latte are back in shops and grocery stores and on Shudder, the 31 days of Halloween have become the 61 days of Halloween
For horror fans it’s never too early for the spooky season and with that comes these movies to check out on Shudder.
Streaming now – What Josiah Saw.
The southern gothic horror movie stars Robert Patrick (The Terminator), Nick Stahl (Sin City), Scott Haze (Child Of God) and Kelli Garner (Lars And The Real Girl)
The film is the third feature from American filmmaker Vincent Grashaw and world premiered to high praise at the 2021 Fantasia Film Festival and went on to win awards at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival, Fantaspoa International Fantastic Film Festival, Screamfest, and more.
After two decades,...
For horror fans it’s never too early for the spooky season and with that comes these movies to check out on Shudder.
Streaming now – What Josiah Saw.
The southern gothic horror movie stars Robert Patrick (The Terminator), Nick Stahl (Sin City), Scott Haze (Child Of God) and Kelli Garner (Lars And The Real Girl)
The film is the third feature from American filmmaker Vincent Grashaw and world premiered to high praise at the 2021 Fantasia Film Festival and went on to win awards at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival, Fantaspoa International Fantastic Film Festival, Screamfest, and more.
After two decades,...
- 8/17/2022
- by Michelle Hannett
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Saloum Trailer — Jean Luc Herbulot‘s Saloum (2021) movie trailer has been released by Shudder. The Saloum trailer stars Yann Gael, Evelyne Ily Juhen, Roger Sallah, Mentor Ba, and Bruno Henry. Crew Jean Luc Herbulot wrote the screenplay for Saloum, “from a story by Pamela Diop and Jean Luc Herbulot.” Plot Synopsis Saloum‘s plot synopsis: “Amidst Guinea-Bissau’s [...]
Continue reading: Saloum (2021) Movie Trailer: Mercenaries after a Theft Hide at a Holiday Encampment in Shudder’s Neo-Western...
Continue reading: Saloum (2021) Movie Trailer: Mercenaries after a Theft Hide at a Holiday Encampment in Shudder’s Neo-Western...
- 8/12/2022
- by Rollo Tomasi
- Film-Book
The horror-themed streaming service Shudder will be celebrating Halloween for 61 days straight this year, beginning on September 1st – and they have announced that their line-up, which they say makes them “The Home for Halloween” will include 11 new films and original series, plus a new Joe Bob Briggs special (possibly one that involves a guest appearance by Elvira), and other special treats that have yet to be announced.
Shudder’s Craig Engler had this to say:
Halloween is the best time of year on Shudder, and this Halloween, we’re featuring the best lineup of programming in our history. We have 11 original and exclusive movie premieres, including a new film from horror master Dario Argento, a Halloween special from superstar host Joe Bob Briggs, and three new series — from Bryan Fuller, The Boulet Brothers, and the producers of Eli Roth’s History of Horror.”
Here’s an overview of the key...
Shudder’s Craig Engler had this to say:
Halloween is the best time of year on Shudder, and this Halloween, we’re featuring the best lineup of programming in our history. We have 11 original and exclusive movie premieres, including a new film from horror master Dario Argento, a Halloween special from superstar host Joe Bob Briggs, and three new series — from Bryan Fuller, The Boulet Brothers, and the producers of Eli Roth’s History of Horror.”
Here’s an overview of the key...
- 8/12/2022
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Once again, Shudder is going big for the holidays.
AMC Network’s premium streaming service for horror, thriller, and the supernatural, will kick off its annual 61-day Halloween event on Thursday, September 1, and they’ve just unveiled the massive lineup that will make Shudder “The Home for Halloween.”
This year’s lineup will include eleven acclaimed, must-see new films and new original series, along with other special treats to be announced, to truly be “The Home for Halloween.” Shudder will debut new original series like Queer for Fear: A History of Queer Horror, and premiere new originals that include Saloum, V/H/S/99, Deadstream, and more. Expect a brand new edition of The Ghoul Log, and Joe Bob Briggs to ring in the Halloween spirit with a new special.
“Halloween is the best time of year on Shudder, and this Halloween, we’re featuring the best lineup of programming in our history,...
AMC Network’s premium streaming service for horror, thriller, and the supernatural, will kick off its annual 61-day Halloween event on Thursday, September 1, and they’ve just unveiled the massive lineup that will make Shudder “The Home for Halloween.”
This year’s lineup will include eleven acclaimed, must-see new films and new original series, along with other special treats to be announced, to truly be “The Home for Halloween.” Shudder will debut new original series like Queer for Fear: A History of Queer Horror, and premiere new originals that include Saloum, V/H/S/99, Deadstream, and more. Expect a brand new edition of The Ghoul Log, and Joe Bob Briggs to ring in the Halloween spirit with a new special.
“Halloween is the best time of year on Shudder, and this Halloween, we’re featuring the best lineup of programming in our history,...
- 8/11/2022
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
"He's preparing for something. Something… he isn't telling us." Shudder has unveiled an official trailer for a film from Africa titled Saloum, a break-out feature from Congolese director Jean Luc Herbulot. This first premiered in Midnight Madness at TIFF 2021 last year and rocked numerous other genre festivals including Fantastic Fest and Beyond Fest. I flipped for this, one of the most creative and badass African films paving the way for a New Wave of African cinema. The film takes place in the West African nation of Senegal, on the delta known as Saloum. The film follows a trio of mercenaries escorting a foreigner drug dealer through dangerous lands. Not only is the film packed with vibrant, often neon, style expressed through colors and light and distinct costumes, but it switches up genres part of the way in and dips a bit into action horror. Starring Yann Gael, Evelyne Ily Juhen,...
- 8/10/2022
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
The infamous “Hyenas”—three mercenaries running amok throughout Africa—are caught in the air with gold bars, the drug lord (Renaud Farah’s Felix) they’ve been hired to extract, and a failed fuel tank leaving them with bad and worse options for an emergency landing. The Guinea-Bissau authorities won’t let them leave without a fight on the ground and they’ve surely alerted their Senegalese counterparts already, but Chaka (Yann Gael) knows of a secret beach from his past where they might be able to lay low and find the materials to repair their plane’s damage. Rafa (Roger Sallah), the muscle to Chaka’s brains, doesn’t like the idea while Minuit’s (Mentor Ba) mysticism has him believing their leader is hiding come crucial details, but they follow him just the same.
Where they ultimately arrive looks like any seaside waystation despite these lingering notions that...
Where they ultimately arrive looks like any seaside waystation despite these lingering notions that...
- 9/18/2021
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
Watch a Clip from Saloum: "U.S. Fantastic Fest Premiere Saloum is a cool and kinetic genre shifting supernatural thriller in which a legendary trio of on-the-run mercenaries carrying a stolen gold bounty and a kidnapped drug lord take refuge in a remote and mystical area of Senegal, where creepy curses and sinister ancestral forces unleash hell on them all.
Uniquely inspired by African-Carribean folklore and mysticism as well as western and action/horror hybrids such as From Dusk Till Dawn and Predator, Saloum was written & directed by acclaimed African filmmaker Jean Luc Herbulot and is the producing debut of Senegal-based filmmaker / entrepreneur Pamela Diop.
Saloum also marks the feature film debut for their new pan African production company Lacme Studios, founded in 2019 by the film’s creative team of Jean Luc Herbulot and Pamela Diop.
Writer/Director: Jean Luc Herbulot (Netflix’s Dealer, Canal + Afrique’s Sakho & Mangane...
Uniquely inspired by African-Carribean folklore and mysticism as well as western and action/horror hybrids such as From Dusk Till Dawn and Predator, Saloum was written & directed by acclaimed African filmmaker Jean Luc Herbulot and is the producing debut of Senegal-based filmmaker / entrepreneur Pamela Diop.
Saloum also marks the feature film debut for their new pan African production company Lacme Studios, founded in 2019 by the film’s creative team of Jean Luc Herbulot and Pamela Diop.
Writer/Director: Jean Luc Herbulot (Netflix’s Dealer, Canal + Afrique’s Sakho & Mangane...
- 9/16/2021
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Revenge is a dish served with considerable style and imagination in “Saloum,” a fast and furious crime-horror-thriller that twists and turns its way around the mangroves, islets and inlets of Senegal’s Sine-Saloum coastal region. Centered on a trio of mercenaries holed up in a strange holiday camp that harbors a diabolical secret, the second feature by Congolese filmmaker Jean Luc Herbulot freely mixes and marries the cinematic languages of spaghetti Westerns, samurai dramas and classic monster movies to tell an exciting and distinctly African story. There’s not much else in Senegalese cinema to compare with “Saloum,” which is bound to be in high demand on the festival circuit and has the sheer entertainment value to enjoy a successful commercial life thereafter.
Part of a small but growing wave of African genre cinema to attract international exposure, “Saloum” marks a winning start to feature production for Lacme Studios, the...
Part of a small but growing wave of African genre cinema to attract international exposure, “Saloum” marks a winning start to feature production for Lacme Studios, the...
- 9/15/2021
- by Richard Kuipers
- Variety Film + TV
Directed by Jean Luc Herbulot and produced by Pamela Diop, Saloum is a Toronto Film Festival’s Midnight Madness selection that premiered this past week. The film weaves together supernatural horror elements with comedy and suspense. All aspects come together to create a unique story about how the cycle of revenge can come back to haunt you.
In 2003, a trio of mercenaries called the Bangui Hyenas are flying to Dakar, Senegal, with millions in gold and a rescued cartel drug lord. Chaka (Yann Gael) is the brains, Rafa (Roger Sallah) is the muscle, and Minuit (Mentor Ba) is the silent but deadly type. In the middle of their flight, there is a sudden hole in the wing, and they must land on the Saloum Delta. Before they begin their walk to civilization, they bury the gold and vow to come back for it.
They reach a mysterious and isolated Baobab camp deep within the Delta.
In 2003, a trio of mercenaries called the Bangui Hyenas are flying to Dakar, Senegal, with millions in gold and a rescued cartel drug lord. Chaka (Yann Gael) is the brains, Rafa (Roger Sallah) is the muscle, and Minuit (Mentor Ba) is the silent but deadly type. In the middle of their flight, there is a sudden hole in the wing, and they must land on the Saloum Delta. Before they begin their walk to civilization, they bury the gold and vow to come back for it.
They reach a mysterious and isolated Baobab camp deep within the Delta.
- 9/14/2021
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Three mercenaries on the run with a plane full of gold and a dark secret in their past are the starting point for Jean Luc Herbulot’s Senegalese genre-bender “Saloum,” which has its world premiere in the Midnight Madness section of the Toronto Film Festival.
The film centers on the Bangui Hyenas, a mythic trio of mercenaries whose plane is shot down as they’re fleeing a coup in Guinea-Bissau. Transporting a bounty of stolen gold and a kidnapped drug lord, they’re forced to take refuge in a remote and mystical region of Senegal.
But as they lay low in the Saloum Delta waiting to repair and refuel their plane, a mysterious secret from the past emerges, unleashing dark ancestral forces that threaten to consume them all.
“Saloum” is the first production from Lacme Studios, a Dakar-based production company that Herbulot and co-founder Pamela Diop hope will reshape narratives...
The film centers on the Bangui Hyenas, a mythic trio of mercenaries whose plane is shot down as they’re fleeing a coup in Guinea-Bissau. Transporting a bounty of stolen gold and a kidnapped drug lord, they’re forced to take refuge in a remote and mystical region of Senegal.
But as they lay low in the Saloum Delta waiting to repair and refuel their plane, a mysterious secret from the past emerges, unleashing dark ancestral forces that threaten to consume them all.
“Saloum” is the first production from Lacme Studios, a Dakar-based production company that Herbulot and co-founder Pamela Diop hope will reshape narratives...
- 9/11/2021
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Film marks first production from Pamela Diop’s pan-African Lacme Studios.
Paris-based Elle Driver has acquired worldwide rights to Senegalese supernatural thriller Saloum ahead of its world premiere in the Midnight Madness strand of the Toronto International Film Festival’s (TIFF).
Congolese filmmaker Jean Luc Herbulot, who made the Canal + and Netflix crime series Sakho & Mangane, wrote and directed the story about a notorious trio of mercenaries on the run during the 2003 coup in Guinea Bissau.
When the soldiers of fortune arrive in the Sine-Saloum Delta region of Senegal with stolen gold and a kidnapped drug lord in tow they...
Paris-based Elle Driver has acquired worldwide rights to Senegalese supernatural thriller Saloum ahead of its world premiere in the Midnight Madness strand of the Toronto International Film Festival’s (TIFF).
Congolese filmmaker Jean Luc Herbulot, who made the Canal + and Netflix crime series Sakho & Mangane, wrote and directed the story about a notorious trio of mercenaries on the run during the 2003 coup in Guinea Bissau.
When the soldiers of fortune arrive in the Sine-Saloum Delta region of Senegal with stolen gold and a kidnapped drug lord in tow they...
- 9/7/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
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