Cinema
An Exotic Comedy
Comédie exotique
Kitia Touré · 1984
Synopsis
Stéphane, a Frenchman of Polish origin and a specialist in Ivorian sacred art, has studied masks at the Musée de l'Homme and the British Museum. He plans an unprecedented documentary on the sacred Senufo masks and has his girlfriend hired as continuity girl, although women are not allowed to see these masks.
Context
The film, in colour, runs ninety minutes. Andrée Davanture edited it, Jean Monsigny did the cinematography, Michel Mellier the sound and Paul O. Wassada the music; Yao Joachim Ouattara, François Tilly and André Gardies play the leading roles. Presented at the Festival des 3 Continents in Nantes in 1984, it was shown there again in 2005 among the essential films of Côte d'Ivoire.
Who it is for
To see an Ivorian film about a Western researcher faced with the prohibitions that protect Senufo sacred art.
Prizes and reception
It received the international critics' prize at the Carthage Film Festival and a prize at Vues d'Afrique, in Montreal.