Nafi’s Father

Tokara wants to marry his cousin, the beautiful Nafi, bringing their fathers into conflict with one another. The youngest brother is a high-ranking clergyman, the other a candidate for Mayor of the small town in the northeast of Senegal where the film takes place. Initially, their fraternal struggle seems to be all about the happiness of their children, but gradually it transpires that the children are pawns in a bitter dispute about tradition, progress and the true nature of Islam. Can their family ties help them overcome these ideological differences?

Director Mamadou Dia shot his feature debut Nafi’s Father, supported by the Hubert Bals Fund, in the atmospheric surroundings of his home town, Matam. The camerawork and mise-en-scène are extremely precise, the performances impressive. Nafi’s Father won the Golden Leopard in the Filmmakers of the Present competition and the First Feature award at Locarno.

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