Saloum

Three mercenaries crash land by the Saloum River in Senegal. Their cargo is a Mexican drug lord and suitcase full of gold. One of the mercenaries, Chaka, carries a secret. They are not here by accident, and the land is cursed.

Chaka, and his mercenary trio known as the Bangui Hyenas, leave Guinea-Bissau with a Mexican drug lord as hostage, and a suitcase full of gold bars. But their plane is sabotaged, and they must land in the Senegalese Delta. Chaka leads the party to a camp where he knows the owner. There, they come across a deaf-mute woman who knows their identities, and a nosy cop. Chaka has traumatic memories from there, and a hidden agenda. On top of that, the place is cursed.

Saloum offers stylish action, tense dialogue reminiscent of Tarantino, and supernatural horror. It’s not every day you get to experience a Senegalese western horror-film, exploring civil war and folk beliefs, loaded with style, and with a killer soundtrack. If that sounds intriguing, then look no further.

Kristoffer Holen

Director

Jean Luc Herbulot was born in Congo, but moved to France in 2000. He worked with graphic design, and made music videos and shorts before his feature debut Dealer (2014). He’s been living in Senegal for the last few years, where he’s made the show Sakho & Mangane (2019) and Saloum, which won best director at Fantastic Fest in 2021.

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