Les Oubliées

Les Oubliées (The forgotten women) is a 1996 documentary film directed by Anne-Laure Folly of Togo and shot in Angola.

Les Oubliées
Directed by	Anne-Laure Folly
Narrated by	Anne-Laure Folly
Cinematography	Arlette Girardo
Edited by	Ondine Blanchard
Production company	Amanou Production (France)
Release date	1996 (1996)
Running time	53 minutes
Country	Angola
Languages	French and Portuguese with French subtitles

Production

The Portuguese-language film with French subtitles was released in 1996 and runs for 53 minutes. It takes the form of interviews with the women of Angola, including the daughter of Sarah Maldoror and Ruth Neto. Without running water, electricity or any way to communicate, they are normally mute.

Description

The film is a documentary about Angola. It tells of the heavy cost of war to women. After ten years of struggle for independence, the war in Angola had continued for another twenty years. The film explores the motives of the combatants, including Cuba and South Africa's apartheid government. In this film, Folly lets women tell their own stories. She shows the women from mid- or close-range, forcing the viewer to focus on their faces rather than their bodies or surroundings, and takes the time to let them say what they have to say, giving a unique women's perspective of the conflict. Folly participates in the film through her voice-over, giving a subjective element. She admits that she is not familiar with Angola, and certainly is not an authority. The film thus becomes a record of Folly's own journey of discovery.

References

Citations

Sources

• Association des trois mondes (2000). Les cinémas d'Afrique: dictionnaire. KARTHALA Editions. ISBN 978-2-84586-060-5. Retrieved 8 February 2013.
• Boni, Tanella (6 August 2011). Que vivent les femmes d'Afrique ?. KARTHALA Editions. ISBN 978-2-8111-0529-7. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
• "OUBLIÉES (LES)". Africulture. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
• Thackway, Melissa (2003). Africa Shoots Back: Alternative Perspectives in Sub-Saharan Francophone African Film. Indiana University Press. ISBN 978-0-253-34349-9. Retrieved 8 February 2013.