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Several French-speaking Belgian Films Selected in Comeptition at FESPACO 2025!

“Omen”, “Mambar Pierrette,” and “Zanatany, l'empreinte des linceuls esseulés” are part of the lineup for the 29th edition of FESPACO.

The Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO) takes place every two years. For its 29th edition, the festival has selected several French-speaking Belgian productions and co-productions.

In the Fiction Competition, Omen by Baloji, produced by Wrong Men and internationally distributed by Memento International, has been selected. Baloji’s debut feature had its world premiere at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival (Un Certain Regard) and has since been showcased at numerous international festivals such as SITGES, the BFI, and Karlovy Vary.

After 15 years away, Koffi returns to Congo to introduce his pregnant wife to his family. Considered a sorcerer by his relatives, he encounters three other characters who, like him, wish to break free from the weight of beliefs and their imposed roles. Only mutual support and reconciliation can help them escape the curse that binds them.

Mambar Pierrette, directed by Rosine Mbakam, is competing in the Documentary Competition. The film is produced by The Blue Raincoat and internationally distributed by The Party Film Sales. Also presented as a world premiere at Cannes 2023 (Quinzaine des Cinéastes), Mambar Pierrette has earned prestigious international selections, including TIFF (Toronto), RIDM, AFI, and IDFA.

Under Douala’s relentless rain, Mambar resigns herself to bailing out water from her home with her children’s help. At her sewing workshop, the same ordeal awaits her. One by one, clients visit her workshop, all focused on preparing for the new school term. Mambar, however, has yet to buy anything for her own children. Her days are long, her children’s expectations are high, but will Douala’s rain clouds make way for sunshine for Mambar and her family?

Finally, Zanatany, l’empreinte des linceuls esseulés by Hachimiya Ahamada, produced by The Blue Raincoat, is part of the FESPACO Shorts Competition. The short film was featured in the 2024 selection of IFFR.

Majunga, December 1976. A wave of revolt sweeps through the city. Ali, a deputy foreman in a bookbinding workshop, is raising his two teenage daughters alone. One morning, before heading to work, he witnesses what seems to be a simple neighborhood dispute...

Additionally, French-speaking Belgian co-productions include Everybody Loves Touda by Nabil Ayouch (Velvet Film, Fiction Competition), Les Enfants rouges by Lotfi Achour (Versus Production, Fiction Competition), Rising Up at Night by Nelson Makengo (Twenty Nine Studio & Production, Documentary Competition), and Lees Waxul by Yoro Mbaye (NRW, FESPACO Shorts Competition).

FESPACO will take place from February 22 to March 1, 2025.

films

Omen

Baloji

Feature film / Fiction

Mambar Pierrette

Rosine Mbakam

Feature film / Fiction

Zanatany, l'empreinte des linceuls esseulés

Hachimiya Ahamada

Short film / Fiction