Le Franc
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''Le Franc'' is a 1994
Senegalese Senegal,; Wolof: ''Senegaal''; Pulaar: 𞤅𞤫𞤲𞤫𞤺𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭 (Senegaali); Arabic: السنغال ''As-Sinighal'') officially the Republic of Senegal,; Wolof: ''Réewum Senegaal''; Pulaar : 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 ...
short Short may refer to: Places * Short (crater), a lunar impact crater on the near side of the Moon * Short, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Short, Oklahoma, a census-designated place People * Short (surname) * List of people known as ...
comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...
, directed by
Djibril Diop Mambéty Djibril Diop Mambéty (January 1945 – July 23, 1998) was a Senegalese film director, actor, orator, composer and poet. Though he made only two feature films and five short films, they received international acclaim for their original and ex ...
. ''Le Franc'' is about Marigo, a penniless musician living in a shanty town, relentlessly harassed by his formidable landlady. This film uses the French government's 50% devaluation of the
West African CFA franc The West African CFA franc ( French: ''franc CFA'' or simply ''franc'', ISO 4217 code: XOF; abbreviation: F.CFA) is the currency used by eight independent states in West Africa which make up the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA; ' ...
in 1994, and the resulting hardships as the basis for a whimsical commentary on using the lottery for survival. ''Le Franc'' was originally intended as the first film of a trilogy under the title, ''Tales of Ordinary People''. However, Mambety’s untimely death in 1998 prevented the completion of the third film.


Synopsis

Marigo the musician dreams with his instrument – a congoma – confiscated by his landlady because he never pays the rent. He gets hold of a lottery ticket and decides to put it in a safe place while he waits for the draw: he glues it to the back of his door. The night of the draw, fortune blinds Marigo, he is the proud owner of the winning ticket. He already sees himself as a millionaire, with a thousand congomas, an orchestra and a private plane… He even has visions of the charismatic Aminata Fall, symbol of capitalism in Africa. But there is small problem; the ticket is glued to the door…


Cast

* Demba Bâ as "Dwarf" * Dieye Ma Dieye as "Marigo" * Aminata Fall as "Landlady"


Release

''Le Franc'' was released on DVD coupled with ''La petite vendeuse de Soleil'' (''The Little Girl who Sold the Sun'') and is distributed by California Newsreel Productions.


References

;Bibliography * * *


External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Franc, Le 1994 short films 1994 films Senegalese comedy films Wolof-language films 1994 comedy films Films directed by Djibril Diop Mambéty Films shot in Senegal 1995 comedy films 1995 films Senegalese short films