Félicité is a 2017 Senegalese drama film set in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and directed by Alain Gomis.[3] It was selected to compete for the Golden Bear in the main competition section of the 67th Berlin International Film Festival.[4] At Berlin, the film won the Jury Grand Prix award.[5] At the 2017 Africa Movie Academy Awards, it won six awards which is the highest for a film in the history of the award ceremony, including categories for best film, best actress, best supporting actor, best editing, best soundtrack and best film in an African language.[6][7][8]
| Félicité | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Film poster | |
| Directed by | Alain Gomis |
| Written by | Alain Gomis Olivier Loustau Delphine Zingg |
| Produced by | Arnaud Dommerc |
| Starring | Véro Tshanda Beya Mputu |
| Cinematography | Céline Bozon |
| Edited by | Fabrice Rouaud |
| Music by | Kasai Allstars and Orchestre Symphonique Kimbanguiste |
| Distributed by | Jour2Fête (France) Strand Releasing (United States) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 123 minutes |
| Countries | France Senegal |
| Languages | Lingala French |
| Box office | $259,098[1][2] |
It was selected as the Senegalese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards,[9] making the December shortlist.[10] It was the first time Senegal had sent a film for consideration for the Best Foreign Language film.[11]
Plot
The film tells the story of how a bar entertainer struggles to get funds after her child is hospitalized.
Cast
- Véro Tshanda Beya Mputu as Félicité
- Gaetan Claudia as Samo
- Papi Mpaka as Tabu
- Nadine Ndebo as Hortense
- Elbas Manuana as Luisant
- Kasai Allstars as themselves
Reception
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 98% based on 46 reviews, and an average rating of 7.3/10. The website's critical consensus states: "Félicité depicts a culture and a setting unfamiliar to many viewers, but its themes - and Véro Tshanda Beya Mputu's performance - transcend borders".[12] On Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score, the film holds a score of 75 out of 100, based on reviews from 13 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[13] Jordan Mintzer of The Hollywood Reporter described the film as "rough and heartfelt".[14]
