Atlantics

© Les Films du Bal

Ada and Souleiman are in love. But Souleiman is tired of labouring without pay on the gleaming towers of Dakar. He sets out across the sea with friends, leaving Ada to face impending marriage to another man. But as the women gather in the bar where the men used to drink, it seems that something has returned after all. Employing mystical symbolism and an evocative synth score by Fatima Al Qadiri, the film flows from social drama into supernatural waters and makes lyrical use of the figure of the djinn to process a harrowing reality. Mati Diop, known to many for her acting collaborations with Claire Denis, follows a string of fascinating short films with this bold feature debut that not only poses, but answers, the question: to whom does the future belong?

To book your tickets for the screening at Ciné Lumière, visit the BFI London Film Festival here and select the screening at Ciné Lumière.