Dahomey

The African kingdom of Dahomey, which ruled over its region at the west of the continent until the turn of the 20th century, saw hundreds of its splendid royal artifacts plundered by French colonial troops in its waning days. Now, as 26 of these treasures are set to return to their homeland—now within the Republic of Benin—filmmaker Mati Diop documents their voyage back. As with her layered, supernaturally tinged Atlantics, Diop takes a singular approach to contemporary questions around belonging in our postcolonial world, transforming this rich subject matter into a multifaceted examination of ownership and exhibition, and employing multiple points of view, including—most strikingly—those of the artifacts themselves as they sail in darkness over the ocean to their rightful home. Alternating images of nocturnal melancholy and debates among students at Benin’s University of Abomey-Calavi about what should be done with the objects, Dahomey brilliantly negotiates a lost past and an unsure present. Winner of the Golden Bear at the 2024 Berlin Film Festival. An NYFF62 Main Slate selection. A MUBI release.

Recommended Film Comment reading:

• Tropical Maladies: Dahomey & The Ballad of Suzanne Césaire
• Berlinale 2024 Podcast: Dahomey
• Revealing Statements: Berlinale 2024 review of Dahomey
• “Dahomey redraws the map”: Dahomey at Berlinale 2024

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