Le Franc
| Le Franc | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Djibril Diop Mambéty |
| Written by | Djibril Diop Mambéty |
| Produced by | Silvia Voser |
| Cinematography | Stéphan Oriach |
| Edited by | Stéphan Oriach |
| Music by | Issa Cissokho Dieye Ma Dieye |
Production company | Waka Films |
| Distributed by | California Newsreel Productions |
Release dates | August 1994 (Locarno)
|
Running time | 45 minutes |
| Country | Senegal |
| Language | Wolof |
Le Franc is a 1994 Senegalese comedy film, directed by Djibril Diop Mambéty.
Le Franc is about Marigo, a penniless musician living in a shanty town, relentlessly harassed by his formidable landlady.
This film uses the French government's 50% devaluation of the West African CFA franc in 1994, and the resulting hardships as the basis for a whimsical commentary on using the lottery for survival.[1]
Le Franc was originally intended as the first film of a trilogy under the title, Tales of Ordinary People. However, Mambety’s untimely death in 1998 prevented the completion of the third film.[2]
Synopsis
[edit]Marigo the musician dreams with his instrument – a congoma – confiscated by his landlady because he never pays the rent. He gets hold of a lottery ticket and decides to put it in a safe place while he waits for the draw: he glues it to the back of his door. The night of the draw, fortune blinds Marigo, he is the proud owner of the winning ticket. He already sees himself as a millionaire, with a thousand congomas, an orchestra and a private plane… He even has visions of the charismatic Aminata Fall, symbol of capitalism in Africa. But there is small problem; the ticket is glued to the door…
Cast
[edit]- Demba Bâ as "Dwarf"
- Dieye Ma Dieye as "Marigo"
- Aminata Fall as "Landlady"
Release
[edit]Le Franc was released on DVD coupled with La petite vendeuse de Soleil (The Little Girl who Sold the Sun) and is distributed by California Newsreel Productions.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ Price, Yasmina (2021-02-19). "Follow the Money - Journal". Metrograph. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
- ^ "A wayward couple in Dakar". africasacountry.com. 2024-09-17. Retrieved 2024-09-18.
- ^ "California Newsreel - TALES OF ORDINARY PEOPLE". California Newsreel. Retrieved 2011-01-26.
- African Film Festival of Cordoba-FCAT (license CC BY-SA-3.0)
- Bibliography
- Sandra Brennan (2012). "Le Franc-1995 - NYTimes.com". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Baseline & All Movie Guide. Archived from the original on 2012-11-03. Retrieved 2011-01-26.
- "LE FRANC and LA PETITE VENDEUSE DE SOLEIL - Notes for Viewing the Film". California Newsreel. Retrieved 2011-01-26.
- "Three Tales From Senegal (Le Franc, Picc Mi, Fary L'anesse)". Retrieved 2011-01-29.
External links
[edit]- Le Franc at IMDb
- Le Franc at Rotten Tomatoes
- Le Franc at the TCM Movie Database
