TIFF 2023 Review: “Banel & Adama”

From the talented Senegalese director Ramate-Toulaye Sy, known for her 2021 Oscar-qualifying short ‘Astel’ and her remarkable screenplay for the 2019 Rwandan film ‘Our Lady of the Nile,’ comes her debut feature, “Banel & Adama.” Having made its debut in the prestigious competition at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, the film manages to exceed all expectations and establishes Sy as a masterful storyteller. “Banel & Adama” is a searing romantic drama set in a remote Senegalese village, distinguished by its intimate characters and an intricate narrative that deftly tackles issues of tradition, gender, and disruptive climate change.

Durban Film Festival 2021 ‘The Last Shelter’ Review: Melancholic Malian Migrant Documentary

In a melancholic and deeply empathetic documentary portrait, director Ousmane Samassékou focuses on a series of brief moments in the lives of several West African migrants in The House of Migrants in Gao, Mali.