From acclaimed filmmaker Mati Diop (Atlantics), Dahomey is a poetic and immersive work of art that delves into real perspectives on far-reaching issues surrounding appropriation, self-determination and restitution. Set in November 2021, the documentary charts 26 royal treasures from the Kingdom of Dahomey that are due to leave Paris and return to their country of origin: the present-day Republic of Benin. Using multiple perspectives Diop questions how these artifacts should be received in a country that has reinvented itself in their absence. Winner of the coveted Golden Bear prize at the 2024 Berlinale, Dahomey is an affecting though altogether singular conversation piece that is as spellbinding as it is essential.
The Albertine French Film Festival is organized by the Department of French and Italian at Ohio State and sponsored by The Wexner Center for the Arts and Albertine Cinemathèque, a program of Albertine Foundation and Villa Albertine, with support from the Centre National du Cinema et de l’Image Animée, and the Fonds Culturel Franco-Americain SACEM'.Guest speakers will introduce the films and lead post-screening conversations.
