Cyrielle Raingou
Cameroon, France | 2023 | 75 min
Swiss Premiere
Languages : Hausa, French
Subtitles : French, English
Upon being asked by their teacher what they would like to make, the children shout: “a tank”, “a gun!”. As we follow the gaze of a student looking into the distance, the reverse shot reveals a soldier stationed near her classroom, his weapon pointed towards an invisible threat. In a few shots, Cyrielle Raingou crystallises the precarious position faced by Kolofata, a village in the far north of Cameroon, under permanent military protection that is intended to prevent the murderous incursions of Boko Haram from neighbouring Nigeria. Behind this peaceful pastoral appearance, the “spectre” of terrorism is always present, through the terrible accounts whose burden today’s children carry. The filmmaker focuses on 8- to 10-year olds Falta, Ibrahim and Mohammed, as they attempt to build a future for themselves after the disappearance of their loved ones. Between school and working in the fields, the children overcome their trauma by telling each other stories imbued with magical realism, and playing and laughing in front of the camera, which espouses the children’s perspective in order to better observe them on their long journey of resilience.
Emmanuel Chicon
The Lamb, 2021
Requiem Prologue, 2019
Challenge, 2017