French Women Filmmakers • Mati Diop

Atlantique / Atlantics (Mati Diop, 2019, 104 min., France / Senegal / Belgium)

The Cannes Grand Prix–winning Atlantics deftly melds fantasy and romance in a complex portrait of migration.  – The Atlantic, Hannah Giorgis

A cliché in detective fiction, “look for the woman” means to look for the source of mayhem to solve the mystery… This is exactly what we’ve done – look for la femme behind the camera to bring you the most memorable films made by women from France and beyond.

In a suburb of Dakar that lies along the Atlantic coast, a futuristic-looking tower is about to be officially opened. The construction workers have not been paid for months. One night, the workers decide to leave the country by sea, in search of a brighter future in Spain. Among them is Souleiman, the lover of Ada. However, Ada is betrothed to another man – the wealthy Omar. Ada is deeply worried about Souleiman, as she waits for news of his fate in the run-up to her wedding. On her wedding day, Omar’s bed mysteriously catches fire in a suspected arson attack, and a young detective is assigned to investigate the case.

With a complimentary glass of Bourgogne Louis Jadot. Enter a chance to win Sofitel’s Le Bar gift certificate at this screening!

Post-screening discussion with Nick Davis, Associate Professor of English and Gender Studies at Northwestern University. Series curated by Nick Davis, Aimée Laberge and Paprika Bonnin-Occansey

* Entrée Libre for students with ID on-site/.edu addresses online. High school, college or university.

About Mati Diop

Mati Diop (born 22 June 1982) is a French-Senegalese filmmaker and actress who starred in the 2008 film 35 Shots of Rum. She also directed the 2019 film Atlantics, for which she became the first biracial female director to be in contention for the Cannes Film Festival’s highest prize, the Palme d’Or. At Cannes, Atlantics won the Grand Prix. She also won awards for her short film, Mille Soleils (2013) and Snow Canon (2011).

Trailer here