Moussa Touré | Senegal, France, Germany | 2012 | 87’ | In French | English subtitles
Between 2005 and 2010 thousands of Senegalese hoping for a better life crossed the Atlantic and tried to reach the Spanish islands. Countless of them died, nameless individuals whose death didn’t even make it to the papers. Senegalese director Moussa Touré wanted to bring them out of anonymity, to show who they are and what makes them tick. The result was La pirogue, an equally compelling and poignant odyssey, but for the immigrants a true journey from hell filled with inconceivable hardships.
In a small fishing village, close to the Senegalese capital of Dakar, prospects are dim: the fishing grounds have been depleted, no one makes money. Abu, Lansama, Baka and twenty others decide to take a very dangerous gamble. In a wooden fishing boat, a ‘pirogue’ they try to sail to the rich Europe, over 1000 miles away. The travellers hardly know one another, not all of them speak the same language.
A large portion of the film is devoted to the harsh journey with its countless problems, huge risks and immense chance of failure. Touré shot the film in only two months; his efforts were rewarded with a selection for the Un Certain Regard competition of the 2012 Cannes film festival.
Screenings:
Location: Rialto
THU 9 AUG - 17:30 | 
SAT 11 AUG - 21:00 |
Location: De Balie
FRI 10 AUG - 19:45 |
