Mohamed Camara
Guinea/France
Mohamed Camara's debut feature Dakan addresses the problems faced by non-conformists in a repressive culture. It's a simple story of how two men fall in love. Manga and Sory are the young lovers trapped by tradition and social expectations who must try to overcome the town gossip, parental rows, and even violence which their romantic relationship provokes.
Homophobic prejudice, Camara suggests, is caused when a society overlooks what should be the real issue: love. "Who would dare mess around with someone else's ass if not out of love?" Camara asks.
Dakan is the first ever French-Guinea co-production. Producer Rene Feret was drawn to the emotion of the story and resolved to get the film made, however difficult it would be to raise the budget of approximately $1.2 million.
Unsettled by the subject matter, Guinea authorities refused to provide any financial support for the project. In the end, the majority of the finance came from France. Camara himself acted as co-producer.
Confirmation that the film would get made came only after the French television channel La Sept became involved. Difficulties continued, even after funding was secured: while Camara and his crew were on location in Guinea, they faced furious protests from local people enraged by the film's depiction of a gay love story.
Whatever the obstacles, Feret was determined to see the project through to completion. "Although stories about homosexuality are not exactly new," Feret says, "the treatment of this subject within the context of Guinea is." He believes that the importance of Dakan for the Guinea people and for those abroad can't be overstated. As a gay love story set in Africa, it is both an affecting romance and a political statement. Stephanie Marriott
Prod co: Les Films du XXeme and La Sept Cinema
Prod: Rene Feret
Dir/Scr: Mohamed Camara
Ph: Gilberto Azevedo
Ed: Dos Santos
Cast: Aboubacar Toure, Mamady, Cecile Bois, Koumba Diakite, Kade Seck, Mohamed Camara
Music: Elhadj Sory and Kandia Kouyate
Running Time: 90 min
Int sales: Les Film du XXeme
