Short film
Le Certificat d'indigence
Moussa Yoro Bathily · 1981
Synopsis
A mother arrives at the hospital with her sick child. She is told that the child will not be treated: money would be needed, and she has none, or else a certificate of indigence attesting that she has nothing. A desperate quest for this precious paper begins for her, from one counter to the next, while the child waits.
Context
About thirty minutes shot in Wolof; the screenplay and dialogue are by Marguerite Thiam, who plays the lead role, Thierno Ameth Mbengue, Moustapha Yade and the director, and the cinematography is by Bara Diokhane. The soundtrack draws on Charles Mingus as well as on the highlife of Prince Niko Mbarga. The sound is by El Hadj M'Bow, and the editing by the director himself. It is dated 1981 or 1983 depending on the source.
Who it is for
Half an hour, subtitled, with nothing to know beforehand. The satire is direct and the device, the repetition of refusals, is understood from the first minutes.
Prizes and reception
Selected at the Cannes Film Festival in 1983, in the Un certain regard section; no known award.
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