Focusing on a French-Cameroonian woman who manages to escape after being arrested, director and co-writer Ivan Herrera’s drama stars Clarisse Albrecht and bowed at SXSW
by Etan Vlessing
The indie drama Bantú Mama has been selected as Dominican Republic’s best international feature film entry for the upcoming 95th Academy Awards.
Ivan Herrera’s film follows Emma, a French-Cameroonian woman played by Clarisse Albrecht. After being arrested in the Dominican Republic, she escapes and is sheltered by three semi-orphaned kids in Santo Domingo, according to the film’s synopsis.
By becoming their maternal figure as a fugitive in a dangerous section of the city, Emma will see her destiny change as she finds redemption, the film’s logline continues. Herrera and Albrecht co-wrote the script for Bantú Mama, which also stars Euris Javiet, Johnny Morales Jr., Arturo Perez, Scarlet Reyes and Donis Taveras.
Actress, screenwriter, producer and songwriter Albrecht was born to a French father and a Cameroonian mother and grew up in France, Guinea-Bissau and Mozambique. She lives in the Dominican Republic, where she co-founded the production companies Too Caribbean and Point Barre.
Bantú Mama, which had its world premiere at SXSW, is produced by Point Barre, with production having taken place in the Dominican Republic, France and Senegal.
The film has had a wide run on the film festival circuit, including at the BFI London Film Festival, the Pan African Film Festival, the Philadelphia Latino Film Festival and the Chicago Latino Film Festival.
“We enjoy the sensory, almost textural images of the film: the sky, the water, the graffitied walls of the shantytown, the bodies dancing, and motorbikes circling,” said film critic, Fernando G. Herrero, of the film.
To Rob Aldam, “Bantú Mama is a whimsical and compelling portrait of a women whose life has taken an unexpected turn for the worse. An expression telling a thousand words. Bantú Mama is a all about second chances. It’s pacing and minimalism will not be for some, but it’s a finely crafted character study.”
