Three African co-productions are in the running for the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, also known as the Berlinale.
The French-Senegalese production “DAO” portrays a family across two ceremonies — a wedding in France and a ritual honoring a deceased relative in Guinea-Bissau.
Director Alain Gomis, who is French-Senegalese, moves between the two events to explore complex themes such as migration, family relationships and cultural traditions in a deeply personal story.
Gomis told DW the film includes a tribute to his late father. Part of the production was filmed in the village where his father was born, in the Cacheu region of Guinea-Bissau.
“The grave you see in the film, the one the two characters speak to and touch — that is my father’s grave. The photograph of that man in the film — that is my father,” he said.
This is Gomis’ second entry in the Berlinale main competition. His acclaimed feature “Felicite” won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize in 2017. The film also became the first Senegalese submission to reach the Academy Awards’ shortlist for Best Foreign Language Film, a landmark achievement for the country’s film industry.
Instability in Guinea-Bissau
Political instability in Guinea-Bissau also concerns Gomis. He follows developments in the country closely and commented on its current instability, marked by another coup and now under military control.
Still, the filmmaker expressed confidence in a more stable future for Guinea-Bissau.
“At least peace has returned. And I hope democracy will return as soon as possible. We all hope for this. It’s a long process. I still believe that everything will be fine, at some point,” he told DW.
Throughout DAO, Gomis conveys his desire for a more peaceful world. Speaking to DW, he described the kind of peace he envisions: “Peace is peace — the feeling of safety, above all.”
A call for tolerance
The drama In a “Whisper” (French: “A voix basse”) is the third feature film of Tunisian filmmaker Leyla Bouzid. Starring Eya Bouteraa and Hiam Abbass, it follows a woman who returns to Tunisia for her uncle’s funeral.
The story unfolds around his death, shrouded in mystery and further complicated by the fact that he was homosexual — a condition criminalized and stigmatized in Tunisia. At the same time, the woman keeps her own life as a lesbian in Paris hidden from her family.
The director portrays a homophobic society and wants to take a stand against police oppression.
“For the last two years there have been raids, so it’s been criminalized. That makes it very important for us to stand up for these raids,” Bouzid said, adding that she also wants “to show in my cinema how this criminalization is internalized by people and their closest relationship with their loved ones.”
“People expect that others will not accept who they are. That has always interested me, this mixture between your intimate life and politics.”
Spirituality and female bond
“Soumsoum, the Night of the Stars” (French: “Soumsoum, la nuit des astres”) is a mystical drama filmed in impressive Chad’s Ennedi desert, where ancient legends and majestic landscapes shape the narrative.
The film is a catalyst for debate about spirituality, life after death, and the relationship with those who have passed away.
In the movie, Young Kellou, haunted by visions, finds an ally in Aya who unravels the secrets of her past.
“The idea that deaths are amongst us, our ancestors are amongst us. They haven’t entirely departed. They are there, somewhere. We have the visible world and there is also the invisible world. They’re all linked one to the other, with all the varies aspects that it involves. We’re linked together through nature and within,” director and screenwriter Mahamat-Saleh Harounis said about the inspiration behind “Soumsoum.”
The film is a tale of profound sisterhood, in which the protagonist must confront the hostility of the community to defend another woman and assert her own freedom, reflecting the strength of the female bond.
Harounis is one of the most acclaimed African filmmakers, winner of the Jury Prize at Cannes for “A Screaming Man” (2010), and “Soumsoum” marks his first time competing for the Golden Bear.
Twenty-two films are competing for the Golden Bear, which will be awarded on Sunday, February 22, at the Berlin International Film Festival, the Berlinale.
Conflicts in DRC
Ongoing conflicts on the African continent also gained prominence at this Berlinale. Congolese filmmaker Elise Sawaswawa brought to the Panorama section the documentary “Enough is Enough” (French: “Trop c’est Trop”), about the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
“It’s a slogan that the people — my brothers and sisters, my generation — use in demonstrations to try to speak to the whole world, to raise their voices and say no to this war that persists,” he told DW.
Over the course of 65 minutes, he gives voice to those affected and delivers his message that enough is enough when it comes to war.
Sawasawa explained his motivation: “I told myself that I couldn’t just disappear in silence. I had to take out my camera and speak out loud. It is the voice they carry, and it is the voice I should help carry beyond our borders. So, amplifying that voice so the whole world can hear our cry.”
Meanwhile, veteran Ethiopian filmmaker Haile Gerima presented his nearly nine hours long documentary “Black Lions – Roman Wolves” about the Italian attacks on Ethiopia, at the Berlinale Forum section.
Gerima, who is also known for his films “Sankofa” (1993), “Adwa” (1999) and “Teza” (2009), received the Berlinale Camera in 2026. While honoring Gerima, festival director Tricia Tuttle said his works “bear witness to histories marked by oppression, resistance, and the unfinished work of decolonisation.”
Edited by Cai Nebe