"Saint Omer" is in the Competition for the Golden Lion at the 79th annual Venice International Film Festival

"Saint Omer" is in the Competition for the  Golden Lion at the 79th annual Venice International Film Festival on 7 September 2022

"Saint Omer" is a 2022 French film directed by Alice Diop, one of the most  outstanding international awards winning African documentary filmmakers. The world premiere is at the on going 79th annual Venice International Film Festival.

The film is starring Kayije Kagame and Guslagie Malanda. Its is Diop's first narrative feature producing multiple award winning documentary films.

In the film, Rama (Kagame) is a pregnant young novelist who attends the trial of Laurence Coly (Malanda), a Senegalese woman accused of murdering her 15-month-old child by leaving her on a beach to be swept away by the tide, in order to turn the tragic event into a literary retelling of Medea. 

"Saint Omer" is also in the Official Selections of the 2022 annual Toronto International Film Festival and the 2022 New York Film Festival before the theatrical release in France in November 2022.

     ALICE DIOP,  DIRECTOR, SCREENWRITER,  CINEMATOGRAPHER.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

In June 2016, I attended the trial of a woman who killed her baby daughter by dropping her off at high tide on a beach in France. I imagined that she wanted to offer her to the ‘sea’, a more powerful ‘mother’ than she could be. Inspired by a true story, but fueled by an imagination that summoned mythological figures, I wrote this film: the story of a young novelist who attends the trial of an infanticidal mother with the aim of writing a contemporary version of the Medea myth. But nothing will happen as she had planned. The opacity of the accused will constantly return her to her own ambiguity about motherhood. It is a film that I wanted to make to probe the unspeakable mystery of mothers.

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Video: Gorilla Trek Safari in Cross River State in Southern NIgeria

Gorilla Trek Safari in Cross River State in Southern NIgeria

The rare gorillas of Cross River State in the southern region of Nigeria are among the most critical endangered species of the Gorillas Diehli of  the Western hominid genus Gorilla. Their location is one of the most cinematic scenes in wildlife movies and documentary films.

See The Best Film Locations in Nigeria
http://totnaija.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-best-film-locations-in-nigeria.html?m=1

Gorilla and two babies in front of a tree© Jeremy DArbeau.

The population risks inbreeding and a loss of genetic diversity because there are so few Cross River gorillas and they live in groups that interact infrequently if at all.

HUNTING

The hunting and killing of gorillas is illegal in Cameroon and Nigeria, but enforcement of wildlife laws is often lax. Following conservation efforts, hunting has declined to a low level, but any amount of gorilla killing will have a significantly impact an already small population.

“If we don’t get serious about saving these spectacular species, it’s quite likely that many won’t be around in the years to come.”

- Tom Dillon,

WWF Senior Vice President, Field Programs.

Photos from 

https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/cross-river-gorilla

For your own gorilla adventure, check out our extensive list of gorilla trekking safaris in Africa.

Where to See Gorillas in Africa?

1. Mountain Gorilla Trekking in Rwanda

2. Gorilla Trekking in Uganda

3. Cross River Gorillas in Nigeria

4. Western Lowland Gorillas in the Central African Republic

5. Different Types of Gorillas in Cameroon

6. The Democratic Republic of the Congo

Cross River Gorillas in Nigeria

Cross river gorillas are one of the subspecies of the western gorilla. Unlike their western lowland brethren, whose presence can be counted in thousands, the number of cross river gorillas in the world is considerably small. There are only between 200 and 300 cross river gorillas left in the area. The border of Cameroon and Nigeria is the only place in the world where cross river gorillas can be observed in the wild. Due to their low numbers,sighting them can be hard, time-consuming work, but is guaranteed to be extremely rewarding. Here are the locations where you are most likely to spot the cross river gorillas in Nigeria.

Best Place to See Cross River Gorillas:

Cross River National Park

Mbe Mountains

Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary

For guided Gorilla Trek Safari in Cross River State, contact me.