What thoughts would go through the mind of a king exiled from his country for more than a century? What if that monarch took the form of a wooden statue boxed up for transportation from France to West Africa? Would he worry about recognising his native land after so long? It would be a challenge for any filmmaker to choose an inanimate object, however resonant, as her philosophical protagonist and narrator – but French-Senegalese director Mati Diop does just this to powerful effect. Part documentary, part visual and sonic poem, Dahomey gives voice to the stolen items with a lyrical text by the Haitian author Makenzy Orcel, translated into Fon and recorded in a collage of male and female voices.
Winner of the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival in 2024
Book tickets
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Thursday 2 April at 7.30pm
The Return Dugdale Arts Centre, London Road, Enfield Town EN2 6DS
Saturday 18 April at 7.30pm
I Swear Waterhouse Hall, 77 Compton Road, Winchmore Hill, N21 3NU
