AU NOM DU CHRIST


a film by Roger Gnoan M’Bala
Côte d’Ivoire 1993, 80′, 35mm, o.v. French, sub. Italian/English

Festivals & Prizes

Fespaco 1993 – Grand prix; French cooperation for cinema Award 1993
Locarno international film festival 1993 – Youth Special Award
Perugia 1994 – Grand prix
Milan 1994 – Jury Special Award
Vues d’Afrique Montréal 1994 – Grand Prix
Durban International Film Festival 2002

Synopsis:

A small village in West Africa. One day, a young beautiful woman falls into madness, under the spell of a sorcerer. A pigherd teased by the men of his village and after almost drowning, decides to “save his people”.

He presents himself to them as the “cousin of Christ”. Somewhat crazy, a bit of a thief, with fetishist tendencies, this character awakens his compatriot’s imagination. A charlatan for some, for others a prodigy, he rules as a master and he pushes his convictions to the limit, getting as far as to have himself crucified just as Christ was crucified. This is a story, which corresponds to an African reality that exists.

The film shows us, in an evocative way, the proliferation of sects and aberrations, which these can create in an Africa, caught in between tradition, modernity and power.

Credits

Cast:
Pierre Gondo, Naky Sy Savané, Akissi Delta
Director:
Roger Gnoan M'Bala
Production:
Amka Films/Switzerland, Abyssa Film/Côte d'Ivoire
international sales:
Amka Films