Dahomey

2024 1h 8m FR

👍

6.5

SOLID

★6.5TMDB · 77

Documentary

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Thousands of royal artifacts of Dahomey, a West African kingdom, were taken by French colonists in the 19th century for collection and display in Paris. Centuries later, a fraction returned to their home in modern-day Benin. This dramatized documentary follows the journey of 26 of the treasures as told by cultural art historians, embattled university students, and one of the repatriated statues himself.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Lucrèce Hougbelo
(voice)
Parfait Vaiayinon
(voice)
Didier Sedoha Nassangade
(voice)
Sabine Badjogoumin
(voice)
Dowoti Desir
Self
Micheline Ayinon
Self
Bicarel Gnikpo
Self
Nadia Vihoutou Kponadou
Self

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Mati Diop
Writers: Mati Diop
Languages: English, Ewe, French
Countries: France, Senegal

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 68-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 2 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, Ewe, French.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: France, Senegal.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Mati Diop, shot by Joséphine Drouin-Viallard. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Dean Blunt. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Gabriel Gonzalez shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Lucrèce Hougbelo and Parfait Vaiayinon and Didier Sedoha Nassangade carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Mati Diop directs. Joséphine Drouin-Viallard behind the camera. Dean Blunt scores. Gabriel Gonzalez cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France, Senegal. Dialogue in English, Ewe, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 68-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
2Released 2 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 3 languages: English, Ewe, French.
4International production across 2 countries: France, Senegal.
5Directed by Mati Diop, shot by Joséphine Drouin-Viallard. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Dean Blunt. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Gabriel Gonzalez shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Lucrèce Hougbelo and Parfait Vaiayinon and Didier Sedoha Nassangade carry the top of the cast.
9IMDB entry: tt31015216 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 77 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Joséphine Drouin-Viallard
Original score: Dean Blunt
Editing: Gabriel Gonzalez
Sound: Nicolas Becker
Runtime: 68 min · 1h 8m
Status: Released
Box office: $506,090
Original language: FR
IMDB: Dahomey (2024)

Awards

Lumière Award for Best Documentary
Golden Bear

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Mati Diop

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2024-10-31
★ 6/10
With over 7,000 pieces taken by the colonising French from their homes in the ancient African kingdom of Dahomey (now Benin), there is much celebration amongst the population at the return of 26 artefacts. These range from statues of their legendary Kings Ghezo and Béhanzin to objects of religious significance and items of such an intricate design that their condition will require perpetual care in a new, purpose-built, home near the Presidential Palace. Sadly, we just don't spend enough time with these beautifully crafted sculptures, nor do we really learn very much about the history of them, their historical provenance nor really anything much about the colonial "treaties" that facilitated their move in the first place. It lacks a narration. Not often that bothers me, but at times this whole thing reminded me of one of those films you'd watch for ten minutes if you were visiting a museum before you moved on. It's presented as if it were the introductory edition of a multi-part documentary that was going to explore more and fill in many of the gaps left unexplained in this hour long preview. Too much of it is spent following a group of young people in a forum arguing about the relative merits (or demerits) of this gesture from the French, and though it can be interesting at times to listen to the differing views in this "what's past is prologue" type debate, it wasn't what I wanted to see. I wanted much more about the fascinating mythology that attributed animal features to human beings in the way the Egyptians did two thousand years earlier. What was their significance? How were they to be conserved, preserved, exhibited - and, quite importantly, to whom. None of that was really gone into and I found that all a little disappointing. It may stimulate further reading but as it stands, it's not great.

Production companies