Souleymane's Story (French: L'Histoire de Souleymane), previously titled The Story of Souleymane,[2] is a 2024 French film directed by Boris Lojkine from a script he wrote with Delphine Agut. The film stars Abou Sangare as Souleymane, an immigrant from Guinea working for a food delivery service in Paris.[3]
| Souleymane's Story | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| French | L'Histoire de Souleymane |
| Directed by | Boris Lojkine |
| Written by |
|
| Produced by | Bruno Nahon |
| Starring | Abou Sangare |
| Cinematography | Tristan Galand |
| Edited by | Xavier Sirven |
Production company | Unité |
| Distributed by | Pyramide Distribution |
Release dates | |
Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Languages | French Fula Malinka |
The film had its world premiere at the Un Certain Regard section of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival,[4] where it won the Jury Prize and the Performance Prize.[5]
Premise
editSouleymane's Story follows Souleymane, a recent Guinean immigrant, through the streets of Paris as he prepares for his asylum application interview while working for a meal delivery service on his bicycle.[6]
Cast
editProduction
editWhile developing the film, Lojkine and casting director Aline Dalbis consulted with food delivery workers in Paris to learn about the challenges they faced and got to know members of the city's Guinean immigrant community. The film's star, Abou Sangare, was identified during an open casting call conducted as part of this research. Sangare had immigrated to France seven years prior to casting, while he was still a teenager.[7]
Scenes in which Souleymane delivered food on his bicycle were filmed by a cameraman riding a bicycle alongside the actor.[8]
To write the final interview scene, the filmmakers gathered input from Guinean asylum seekers and sat in on interviews conducted by Ofpra (the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons).[7]
Release
editSouleymane's Story had its world premiere at the Un Certain Regard section of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival,[4] where it won the Jury Prize and the Performance Prize,[5] and the FIPRESCI Prize for the Un Certain Regard section.
Pyramide Distribution released the film in French cinemas on 9 October 2024.[9]
Reception
editCritical response
editOn the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 17 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.4/10.[10] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 81 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[11]
Accolades
edit| Award | Ceremony date | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cannes Film Festival | 24 May 2024 | Un Certain Regard | Souleymane's Story | Nominated | [6] |
| Un Certain Regard – Jury Prize | Won | [12] | |||
| Un Certain Regard – Best Performance[a] | Abou Sangare | Won | |||
| 25 May 2024 | FIPRESCI Prize | Souleymane's Story | Won | [13] | |
| Abitibi-Témiscamingue International Film Festival | 2024 | Médiafilm Robert-Claude Bérubé Prize | Won | [14] |
Notes
edit- ^ Shared with Anasuya Sengupta for The Shameless.
References
edit- ^ Fulton, Claire (19 May 2024). "The Story of Souleymane Review: Asylum Drama". Loud and Clear Reviews. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
- ^ Leffler, Rebecca (5 September 2024). "'Souleymane's Story' sells widely for Pyramide on eve of Toronto (exclusive)". Screen Daily. Retrieved 5 September 2024.
- ^ Desbois, Erwan (19 May 2024). "Cannes 2024 review: The Story of Souleymane (Boris Lojkine)". International Cinephile Society. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
- ^ a b "The films of the Official Selection 2024". Cannes Film Festival. 11 April 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
- ^ a b "The 77th Festival de Cannes winners' list". Festival de Cannes. 2024-05-25. Retrieved 2024-05-26.
- ^ a b "L'Histoire de Souleymane". Cannes Film Festival. 19 May 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
- ^ a b c "The Story of Souleymane" (PDF). Cannes Film Festival. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
- ^ Durand, Manon (19 May 2024). "L'histoire de Souleymane, the vision of Boris Lojkine". Cannes Film Festival. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
- ^ "L'Histoire de Souleymane by Boris Lojkine: Our opinion and the trailer". www.sortiraparis.com. Retrieved 2024-10-24.
- ^ "Souleymane's Story". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
- ^ "Souleymane's Story". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
- ^ Lodge, Guy (24 May 2023). "Cannes Film Festival: 'Black Dog' Wins Un Certain Regard Award". Variety. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
- ^ Balaga, Marta (25 May 2024). "Mohammad Rasoulof's 'The Seed of the Sacred Fig' Wins Fipresci Award at Cannes: 'A Courageous Story'". Variety. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
- ^ Marie-Hélène Paquin, "Prodigieuses remporte les honneurs au Festival du cinéma international". Ici Radio-Canada Abitibi-Témiscamingue, November 1, 2024.