The 8th Dakar Court will take place in the Senegalese capital from December 9 to 13. Created in 2018 by Moly Kane, President of Cinemarekk, with the aim of promoting the cinema of セネガル, Africa, and its diaspora, Dakar Court, Africa's first festival dedicated exclusively to short fiction films, is now an established part of the country's cultural landscape. Now recognized as an essential and formative event for the sector, it is a real springboard for the training of young talent on the continent.
Unifrance and Dakar Court, a longstanding partnership
The 8th edition is an opportunity for Unifrance to continue its partnership with Dakar Court by accompanying the artistic delegation of French (or French co-produced) films in Official Competition:
- Adan nanm ek kò by Ella Moun
- Alazar by Beza Hailu Lemma
- We Had Fun by Linda Lô
- Milk Brothers by Kenza Tazi
- The Boy With White Skin by Simon Panay
Unifrance is delighted with this impressive French presence and, on behalf of its President, Gilles Pélisson, and its Executive Director, Daniela Elstner, congratulates the teams behind the five short films selected.
The travel of participating directors to the event is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Unifrance Endowment Fund's patrons: Accor (Grand Patron), BNP Paribas (Patron), and Vranken-Pommery Monopole (Patron).
The ten films in Official Competition will be screened at the Institut Français' Théâtre de Verdure on Wednesday, December 10, and Thursday, December 11, at 8:30 pm. The directors will meet young African talents and the public during the Les Palabres de Dakar Court sessions on Thursday, December 11, from 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm at the Canal Olympia Teranga, and on Saturday, December 13, from 10:00 am to 11:30 am on the forecourt of the Institut Français media library.
Dakar Court is also an opportunity to showcase films made by film schools. This section, which is also competitive, features a collective work, Misouk, shot in Réunion as part of the Kourmétraz workshop and produced under the direction of Jawahine Zentar. A Cinékour and Femmes & Cinéma production, in partenership with La fémis and France 3, distributed by La Kourmétragerie.
The selection of films from film schools is scheduled for Wednesday 10 from 4:15 pm to 6:00 pm – Salle de l'Institut Français.
French-language focus presented by Unifrance
Because Dakar Court aims to be a place for discovery, encounters, and exchange, Unifrance will present a French-language focus on five films to the public on December 9 at 3:30 pm in the Salle de l'Institut Français:
- The Mysterious Adventures of Claude Conseil by Marie-Lola Terver and Paul Jousselin
- Gioia by Nixon Singa
- Lou by Tara Maurel
- Carcassonne-Acapulco by Marjorie Caup and Olivier Héraud
- Yuck! by Loïc Espuche
The session, which is usually very popular with young talents in training, will be followed by a discussion and debate with the delegation invited by Unifrance.
Another eagerly awaited event at Dakar Court, supported by Unifrance, is the premiere screening on December 12 at 8:30 pm at Pathé Dakar, of the feature film Promised Sky by Tunisian filmmaker Erige Sehiri, in the presence of Aïssa Maïga, the 2025 Jury President.
Produced by Didar Domehri for Maneki Films, it is the director's fourth film. Distributed in Senegal by Pathé Touch Afrique, it will be released in all African theaters on January 30, 2026.
From Page to Screen
On Friday, December 13, from 10:00 am to 11:30 am, Unifrance will host the workshop From Page to Screen. It will take place in two parts:
From 10 am to 10:45 am
Focusing on the wonderful example of the France/Senegal co-production The Boy With White Skin: the genesis of the work, including writing, financing, production, and distribution strategy for festivals, theaters, TV screens, and all other types of media.
Panelists:
➤ Souleymane Kébé – Astou Production
➤ Rafael Andrea Soatto – Bandini Films
➤ Simon Panay – Director
From 10:45 am to 11:30 am
The essential role of a distributor: tools, issues, challenges, and advice for optimizing the international promotion of works.
Panelist:
➤ Luce Grosjean – Miyu Distribution
Some of the festival highlights:
➤ One school screening per morning at the Canal Olympia Teranga cinema
➤ A program dedicated to the クレルモンフェラン-国際短編映画祭
➤ A focus on Films Grand Huit – Babubu Films
➤ A focus on Brazil
➤ Presentations of local organizations and initiatives
➤ A panel discussion on the appropriation of film heritage by young people, organized with the French Ministry of Culture, the Cinémathèque Afrique of the Institut Français in Paris, Chanel, and AASM Fund
The Grec-France Télévisions Award takes root in Senegal
Created in 2020 by the Grec and Cinemarekk/Dakar Court, in partnership with France Télévisions, the Grec-France Télévisions Award supports four aspiring directors—selected on the basis of their screenplays—who wish to make their debut fiction film.
This year's recipients are:
➤ Aïssatou Dial for Le Gardien de la boutique
➤ Assane Niang for Le Tambour du silence
➤ Ousmane Victor Sabathy for Ndjoolor
➤ Laobé Diop for Fat’ Kiné
The program, supervised by a renowned screenwriter and Augustin Diomaye Ngom, training manager at Cinemarekk, includes:
➤ A two-week writing workshop prior to the festival
➤ A day of coaching during Dakar Court to train the directors in pitching their subject
On Friday, December 13, from 11:45 am to 12:30 pm – Salle de l'Institut Français, the candidates will participate in a pitch competition and present their projects to a professional jury. One of them will receive the Grec-France Télévisions-Dakar Court Best Fiction Project Award and will direct the sixth short fiction film in the Dakar Court, Grec/France Télévisions Award collection.
Pre-purchased by France Télévisions and produced in France by the Grec, the winning film will be shot in Senegal, then broadcast on Histoires Courtes on France 2 and premiered at the 9th Dakar Court. During the 8th edition, audiences will discover Le Refus, by Meïssa Wade, winner of the same competition in 2024.
In short, everything that makes up the essence and raison d'être of Dakar Court is concentrated into a rich and intense week designed to: inspire creative works among young people, gain recognition from peers, encourage expertise, promote talent, and work tirelessly, thanks to the support of its partners and the expertise of seasoned international professionals, to constantly structure a sector that is growing in size every year.
We're confident that this opening up to the world will once again be a real success, leading to new intercultural collaborations, and wish Moly Kane and his teams a wonderful Dakar Court 2025.
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