Félicité
classified 15 SPlease note: This was screened in Nov 2017
French/Senegalese director Alain Gomis further cements his reputation as one of Africa's most talented filmmakers with this Berlin Grand Jury Prize-winner that weaves a story around a resilient Kinshasa singer who has to fight for her child's survival.
Félicité sings in a bar in Kinshasa to earn a living, leaving behind her worries when she takes to the stage. When her teenage son is involved in a terrible accident, she must ract to raise the money needed to pay for an urgent operation. She encounters hostility and hopelessness at every turn, until one of the bar's regulars offers to help her - but it might be a decision she will come to regret.
Special mentions must go to internationally renowned musical collective The Kasai Allstars starring as Félicité's backing band, and the Kinshasa Symphonic Orchestra's work on the great soundtrack. The music is the beating heart of this vibrant film, a breathtaking depiction of hope, sensuality and song - and of the harassment women around the world experience in their everyday lives.