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Banel & Adama (12A) (AD)

A young couple lie in tall grass, gazing into each other's eyes.

A young couple living in remote Senegal, whose star-crossed love is in conflict with family tradition, face a new challenge as drought hits their village.

Banel and Adama are fiercely in love. The young couple live in a remote village in northern Senegal and for them, nothing else in the world exists. However, their perfect everlasting love seems on a collision course with their family’s traditions as drought strikes their community. Award-winning filmmaker Ramata-Toulaye Sy’s breathtaking debut feature follows the fated lovers in their quest to carve a life for themselves beyond the expectations of others.

The film premiered in Competition at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, making Sy only the second Black woman in the history of the festival to do so.

Starring Khady Mane as Banel and Mamadou Diallo as Adama.

Tagged with: Cinema New releases

Senegal/France/Mali 2023 dir Ramata-Toulaye Sy 87m

Pulaar with English subtitles.

There is audio description available for this title. The film soundtrack comes through the speakers in the usual way and a recorded narrator explains what is happening on screen through personal headphones. Please ask a member of staff for a set of headphones.

Films can contain elements which some may find upsetting; from references to self-harm or suicide, to sexual violence or domestic abuse. The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) provides guidance to audiences, to help them choose what’s right for them and avoid what’s not. For guidance, please click here and type the film title into the search bar.

Reviews

‘Such is the force of Sy’s imagery that the viewer, like the villagers, falls under a superstitious spell.‘
Sight & Sound
‘This haunting modern fable moves with poetic grace.‘
Total Film
‘With its balletic choreography of performance and statuesque visual approach, Sy’s film is a work of remarkable composition.‘
Little White Lies

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