Cannes Film Festival 2019: Grand Prix for Mati Diop´s ATLANTICS (ATLANTIQUE)

“French-Senegalese filmmaker Mati Diop earned the Grand Prix for her debut feature, “Atlantics.” Diop, who made history as the first black female filmmaker in competition, dramatizes a seldom-seen side of Europe’s refugee crisis through the eyes of a woman abandoned by the man she loves, when he decides to attempt an illegal crossing. Calling Diop’s film “a beautiful fable,” juror Elle Fanning said, “Though it deals with these issues, it also felt personal and vulnerable, very emotional and just quite precious.” (Read full Variety article: https://variety.com/2019/film/news/cannes-film-festival-2019-winners-1203225973)

ATLANTICS follows the young woman Ada (Mama Sané). Along the Atlantic coast, a soon-to-be-inaugurated futuristic tower looms over a suburb of Dakar. Ada is in love with Souleiman, a young construction worker, but she has been promised to another man. One night, Souleiman and his co-workers leave the country by sea, in hope of a better future. Several days later, a fire ruins Ada’s wedding and a mysterious fever starts to spread. Little does Ada know that Souleiman has returned.

ATLANTICS by Mati Diop
with Mama Bineta Sané, Amadou Mbow, Ibrahima Traoré, Fatou Sougou, Aminata Kane
France, Senegal, Belgium / 2019 / 104’
Production: Les Films du Bal, Cinekap, FraKas Productions / International Sales: MK2 FILMS