''Maman(s)'' () is a 2015 French short

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

film written and directed by Maïmouna Doucouré. The film stars Sokhna Diallo,

Eriq Ebouaney Eriq Ebouaney (born 3 October 1967) is a French actor. He is best known for his portrayal as the Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba in the 2000 film '' Lumumba'', as "Blacktie" in Brian De Palma's ''Femme Fatale'' and as "Ice" in the 2008 ...

and Maïmouna Gueye in the lead roles. The film's plot centers on Aida, an eight-year-old girl, who is adjusting to the introduction of her father's second wife. The film was inspired by director Maïmouna Doucouré's own experiences with

polygamy Polygamy (from Late Greek , "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marriage, marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, it is called polygyny. When a woman is married to more tha ...

as a young child. The film was premiered at several international film festivals including the

2015 Toronto International Film Festival The 40th annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from 10 to 20 September 2015. On 28 July 2015 the first wave of films to be screened at the Festival was announced. Jean-Marc Vallée's ''Demolition'' starring Jake Gyllenhaal and N ...

2016 Sundance Film Festival The 2016 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 21 to January 31, 2016. The first lineup of competition films was announced on December 2, 2015. The opening night film was ''Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You'', directed by Heidi E ...

and

2017 César Awards Seventeen or 17 may refer to: *17 (number) * One of the years 17 BC, AD 17, 1917, 2017, 2117 Science * Chlorine, a halogen in the periodic table * 17 Thetis, an asteroid in the asteroid belt Literature Magazines * ''Seventeen'' (American maga ...

. The film jointly won the

César Award for Best Short Film The César Award for Best Short Film () is a discontinued award presented by the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma from 1992 to 2021. It was split into the César Award for Best Fiction Short Film and César Award for Best Documentary S ...

at the

42nd César Awards The 42nd César Awards ceremony, presented by the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma, was held on 24 February 2017, at the Salle Pleyel in Paris to honour the best French films of 2016. Jérôme Commandeur hosted the César Awards ceremon ...

in February 2017 along with

Alice Diop Alice Diop (born 1979) is a French filmmaker. Her films include documentaries about contemporary French society and the feature drama film '' Saint Omer'' (2022). Early life and education Diop was born in 1979 in the northern Parisian commune of ...

's directorial ''Towards Tenderness'' (''Vers la tendresse'').

Synopsis

An 8-year-old girl Aïda (Sokhna Diallo) lives in an apartment with her mother Mariam (Maïmouna Gueye) in the Parisian suburb and her whole family is overwhelmed and eagerly awaiting when her father comes back from Senegal. Suddenly her father Alioune (Eriq Ebouaney) gives a stunning shock when he returns to France from Senegal with his second wife Rama (Mareme N'Diaye). The little girl Aïda and her mother are frustrated with the entrance of a woman and Aïda desperately wants to get rid of her.

Cast

* Sokhna Diallo as Aïda *

as Alioune * Maïmouna Gueye as Mariam * Mareme N'Diaye as Rama * Azize Diabaté Abdoulaye * Maïssa Toumoutou as Bébé * Aïda Diallo as Bintou * Khemissa Zarouel as Nora

Release and reception

''Maman(s)'' selected and premiered in over 200 film festivals and also won around 60 awards in several international film festivals praising the screenplay of the film. The film was premiered on 26 August 2015 at the 2015 TIFF Festival and also received the Short Cuts Award for Best Short Film. The film was also screened at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

in 2016, and won the Short Film Jury Prize for International Fiction. The jury panel noted the complex nature of polygamy, and the human conflict that arises which is portrayed in the film. In December 2016, the film was also screened at the Calcutta International Cult Film Festival in India and was nominated as one of the recipients of the Outstanding Achievement Award.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2015 films French drama short films 2010s French-language films Wolof-language films 2015 short films Films about immigration 2015 drama films Films directed by Maïmouna Doucouré 2015 multilingual films French multilingual films 2010s French films Best Short Film César Award winners