Nafi's Father, the African Romeo and Juliet signed Mamadou Dia

“Nafi's father”, a film by Mamadou Dia.

© Nafi's father

By: Sophie Torlotin Follow |

Elisabeth Lequeret Follow

3 min

It's a first feature film, already covered with praise and awards.

He notably won the Golden Leopard in the Cinéastes du present section at the Locarno festival in 2019 and the Discovery Prize in Namur.

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Its author, the Senegalese Mamadou Dia entitled it

The father of Nafi

, but he could have chosen as the title “Nafi and Tokara”, because it is a kind of African Romeo and Juliet.

In Senegal, a beautiful young Nafi girl falls in love with her cousin.

But Tierno, Nafi's father strongly opposes the marriage.

Because the young man, Tokara is none other than the son of his brother, zealot for a fundamentalist Islam financed by jihadists from Mauritania. 

Love taken hostage by the confrontation between two men, two brothers, this is the heart of the film.

On the one hand, Nafi's father, who has always been the village imam, a moderate imam, full of wisdom and moderation.

And in front of him his brother Ousmane, returned from Dakar to take power with the support, money and weapons of the jihadists. 

Interview with Mamadou Dia who filmed this warning tragedy in his native village of Matam.

Also showing at our cinema this week, the announcement of the selection for the 74th Cannes Film Festival (July 6 to 17, 2021).

Glamor, glitter, the biggest names in author cinema, blockbusters too and discoveries: we don't change the recipe for the biggest film festival in the world.

Even if this year, hydroalcoholic gel, masks and barrier gestures are added.

The 74th edition of the Cannes film festival is already a collector's item.

This is what the Delegate General Thierry Frémaux has repeated on several occasions.

And he has concocted a very fine selection for Cannes 2021: 61 feature films are in the selection, 24 of which will be in the running for the Palme d'Or.

Some directors who already hold a Palme d'Or are returning to the Croisette, such as the Italian Nanni Moretti or the Thai Apichatpong Werasethakul ... At their side, the Chadian Mahamat Saleh Haroun, the Moroccan Nabil Ayouch or the Russian Kirill Serebrennikov.

We are also eager to discover the new film by the Israeli Nadav Lapid, or the French Jacques Audiard.

Not to mention the other sections of the official: Un Certain Regard, refocused on young creators, thus promises the first feature film by Haitian director Gessica Génus…

Thierry Frémaux is creating a section devoted to confirmed masters: Cannes premiere, in which we will discover the new Arnaud Desplechin.

And that, without counting that of our partner sections, the Critics 'Week and the Directors' Fortnight and Acid, which will be unveiled at the beginning of next week.

Musical breaks:

Senegal River

by Baaba Maal,

Don't forget your neighborhood

by Cola Boyy, and

So may we start

by the Sparks (from the soundtrack of the Cannes opening film,

Annette

by Leos Carax).

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