Bantú Mama

A great story about Franco-Cameroonian Emma on an idyllic vacation in the Dominican Republic, who takes an abrupt turn when she’s reminded of the true reason behind her trip to the vacation paradise.

Emma is a Franco-Cameroonian tourist in the Dominican Republic, enjoying life at one of the island's more fashionable beach hotels. Azure blue sea, swaying palm trees, and indulgent drinks—no worries in life. Then, a phone call brings her back to reality and her true purpose for the stay. After that, everything goes wrong, really wrong, as wrong as it can go when things aren't as they seem. Suddenly, Emma finds herself on the other side of Dominican society. The contrast between these two spheres could hardly be greater and serves as a perfect illustration of the enormous social differences that this island harbors.

Multitalented Clarisse Albrecht convincingly portrays Emma, drawing from her own background with a French father and Cameroonian mother, both in her acting and as a co-author of the film. Emma longs for an Africa she has never visited, some of the children she eventually takes responsibility for dream of a better life, while others envision a career in gang service. The sparkling sea that once brought the ancestors across serves as a seductive divide between fantasy and reality but is also the bridge that can cleanse the soul, hide the sin, or realize the dream.

Cinemateket i Oslo

Director

Ivan Herrera is a Dominican director, producer, and screenwriter. Bantú Mama (2022) is the first film from the Dominican Republic featured at the South by Southwest Film Festival. Herrera has also directed the feature films Pueto Pa' Mi (2015) and co-directed La montaña (2013).

This film is part of