Dahomey (film) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dahomey |
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Festival release poster
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| Directed by | Mati Diop |
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| Written by | Mati Diop |
| Music by | |
| Cinematography | Joséphine Drouin-Viallard |
| Editing by | Gabriel Gonzalez |
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| Distributed by | Les Films du losange |
| Release date(s) | 18 February 2024 (Berlinale) 25 September 2024 (France) |
| Running time | 67 minutes |
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| Language | French |
Dahomey is a 2024 documentary film directed by Mati Diop. It is a dramatised account of 26 royal treasures from the Kingdom of Dahomey (in modern day Benin), which were held in a museum in France. The film explores how the artifacts were returned from France to Benin, and the reactions of Beninese people.
The film was an international co-production between companies in France, Senegal and Benin. It was shown in the main competition at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, where it won the festival's top prize, the Golden Bear. It was also nominated for the Berlinale Documentary Film Award.
It is scheduled for theatrical release in France on 25 September 2024.
Contents
Contents
The documentary film blends facts and fiction to narrate the stories of 26 African artworks. The royal artifacts from the Kingdom of Dahomey (1600–1904) were taken to France during the colonial era. In the 21st century, they were put on display in the Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac, a museum of non-European art located in Paris. Following a campaign for repatriation, the artefacts were returned to Benin.
Among the returned works were statues of two kings of Dahomey, Glele and Béhanzin. Their throne, which had been seized by French soldiers in 1892, was also given back. The art pieces are now displayed in a museum in Abomey, the old royal city, about 65 miles from the Gulf of Guinea.
The film includes a discussion by students at the University of Abomey-Calavi, presenting their views on the repatriation of cultural assets. Some of the students criticize the fact that only 26 of a total of around 7,000 objects were returned.
A prominent role in the film is given to the 26th art object to be repatriated, a statue that represents King Ghézo, who ruled from 1818 to 1859, shown below. A voice-over by the Haitian writer Makenzy Orcel (who wrote this part of the script), playing the object, tells of the time it spent in storage at the Paris museum, its memories of Africa and thoughts of returning to its homeland.
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The Kingdom of Dahomey around 1894, superimposed on a map of the modern-day Republic of Benin, in the region of West Africa.
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View of the African exhibit hall at Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac
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Statue of King Ghézo (art object number 26) at the Quai Branly Museum
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Production
The documentary was produced by Les Films du Bal in co-production with Fanta Sy and distributed by Les Films du Losange. The director was Mati Diop, who also wrote the script, and the director of photography was Joséphine Drouin-Viallard. It was edited by Gabriel Gonzalez, with texts in collaboration between the director and Makenzy Orcel. The music was composed by Wally Badarou and Dean Blunt. Corneille Houssou, Nicolas Becker and Cyril Holtz were the sound designers. The film incorporates footage from the surveillance cameras at the Musée du Quai Branly – Jacques Chirac and the premises in Cotonou.
Release
The premiere of Dahomey was on 18 February 2024, as part of the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, where it was shown as part of the main competition.
In January 2024, Paris-based Les Films du Losange acquired the sales rights to the film. In February 2024, Mubi acquired the distribution rights to the film for North America, Latin America, United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Turkey and India from Les Films du Losange and plans to release the film in late 2024. It will be released in French theatres on 25 September 2024 by Les Films du Losange.
Accolades
Dahomey was selected to compete at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, where it was awarded Golden Bear award for the best film. It is the second African film to win the top prize at the festival following Mark Dornford-May's South African drama film U-Carmen eKhayelitsha in 2015. It was the second documentary in a row to take Golden Bear, after Nicolas Philibert's On the Adamant in 2023. During her acceptance speech, Diop called for people "to tear down the wall of silence together" and "to rebuild through restitution", which entails "bringing justice".
| Award | Date | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
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| Berlin International Film Festival | 25 February 2024 | Golden Bear | Mati Diop | Won | |
| Berlinale Documentary Film Award | Nominated |
See also
In Spanish: Dahomey (película de 2024) para niños
