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On Saturday, August 31, the Burkinabe community in the Ile-de-France region and friends of Burkina Faso flocked to the Saint-André Art Cinema to see the screening of The Ambassador’s Wife, a feature film by director Augusta Bomsoya Palenfo. Rarely have we seen so many people come to France to see a paid screening of a Burkinabe film. For good reasons, the 200-seat room quickly filled up, leaving many people on the sidewalk, unhappy that they could not attend the screening.
In a crowded and joyful room, in the presence of members of the diplomatic delegation, including the Vice Consul, Mr. Ousmane Sawadogo, the Director called for a minute of silence in memory of the victims of terrorism ravaging Burkina Faso, and then sang “Ditanyè” which was chanted by the audience in unison.
The director reflects on her long and pitfall-filled journey into the film industry, speaking of the obstacles that came with her atypical career path due to her lack of formal training in cinematography, especially the financial ones and the prejudices that it took a lot of courage and perseverance to overcome them.
Augusta Palenfo is proud of what she has achieved so far on a professional level, but she remains aware of the path to creating more great work and is working hard to achieve it.
At the end of the screening, the audience gave a standing ovation, and the director was moved by the welcome, saying she was grateful to the public for mobilizing in such a large way, reaffirming their attachment to Burkinabe culture and cinema. This is also the main lesson of the film, which calls for never being separated from one’s cultural roots.
She expressed the hope that this overwhelming support would not diminish over time but would be further strengthened to increase Burkina Faso’s influence in France and the world.
When asked about the state of Burkinabe cinema, the director confirmed that it is underperforming due to a clear lack of structured and sustainable financing. She lamented this situation and called on the State to take positive action to revive Burkinabe cinema, which has been left behind since 1997 by Yenega’s The Gold Standard (Gaston Kaboré’s Buud Yam).
The audience, directors and organizers were delighted with the success of this film screening and will surely repeat it.
Public Relations/Press Services
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