Mati Diop (born 22 June 1982) is a French-Senegalese filmmaker and actress who starred in the 2008 film ''
35 Shots of Rum''. She also directed the 2019 film ''
Atlantics
''Atlantics'' (french: Atlantique) is a 2019 internationally co-produced supernatural romantic drama film directed by Mati Diop, in her feature directorial debut. It was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. ...
'', for which she became the first black female director to be in contention for the
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
's highest prize, the
Palme d'Or
The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...
.
At Cannes, ''Atlantics'' won the
Grand Prix
Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour
Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to:
Arts and entertainment ...
. She also won awards for her short film, ''Mille Soleils'' (2013) and ''Snow Canon'' (2011).
Early life
Diop was born in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, France, and is a member of the prominent Senegalese Diop family. Her father,
Wasis Diop Wasis Diop (born 1950 in Dakar, Senegal) is a Senegalese musician of international renown, known for blending traditional Senegalese folk music with modern pop and jazz.
Early life
The son of a Senegalese high official and member of the Lebou ethn ...
, is a Senegalese musician and her mother, Christine Brossard, is an art buyer and photographer. She is the niece of prominent Senegalese filmmaker
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 ...
. During her childhood she often traveled back and forth between France and Senegal, developing a transnational identity.
Education
Mati Diop trained in the Advanced Degree Program at Le Fresnoy National Studio of Contemporary Art in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, as well as at
The Palais de Tokyo in their experimental artist studio space Le Pavillon.
Diop studied at the
Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study
The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University—also known as the Harvard Radcliffe Institute—is a part of Harvard University that fosters interdisciplinary research across the humanities, sciences, social sciences, arts, a ...
from 2014 to 2015.
While a part of the institute's selective Film Study Center Fellowship Program, she wrote the script for her first feature film ''Fire, Next Time.''
She later changed the title of this film to what is now known as her directorial feature film debut, ''
Atlantics
''Atlantics'' (french: Atlantique) is a 2019 internationally co-produced supernatural romantic drama film directed by Mati Diop, in her feature directorial debut. It was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. ...
'' (2019).
Career
Directing
Mati Diop made her directorial debut in 2004 with her short film ''Last Night'' (2004). Her short film ''Atlantiques'' (2009) won the Rotterdam International Film Festival's Tiger Award for Short Film, and
Top Prize at Media City Film Festivalduring her first North American appearance in 2009.
Her documentary short ''Mille Soleils'' was released in 2013. The film focused on actor Magaye Niang, who was the star of Diop's uncle's seminal feature ''
Touki Bouki
''Touki Bouki'' (, Wolof for ''The Journey of the Hyena'') is a 1973 Senegalese drama film, directed by Djibril Diop Mambéty. It was shown at the 1973 Cannes Film Festival and the 8th Moscow International Film Festival.
The film was restored ...
'' (1973) and explained how he had come to live as a farmer in the intervening years. The film played at the
2013 Toronto International Film Festival
The 38th annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) took place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 5 and 15, 2013. '' The Fifth Estate'' was selected as the opening film and '' Life of Crime'' was the closing film. 75 films were ...
and was later also programmed at the
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues.
It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...
in 2014.
In 2019, she became the first black female director to have her film premiere in competition at the
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
when her feature debut ''
Atlantics
''Atlantics'' (french: Atlantique) is a 2019 internationally co-produced supernatural romantic drama film directed by Mati Diop, in her feature directorial debut. It was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. ...
'' was selected to compete for the
Palme d'Or
The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...
.
She was one of only four women accepted into the festival in the given year.
The film was a fictional adaptation of her documentary short ''Atlantiques'' made in 2009 that followed two friends from Senegal as they made a life-threatening boat crossing to Europe. The film won the
Grand Prix
Grand Prix ( , meaning ''Grand Prize''; plural Grands Prix), is a name sometimes used for competitions or sport events, alluding to the winner receiving a prize, trophy or honour
Grand Prix or grand prix may refer to:
Arts and entertainment ...
. It was picked up by
Netflix
Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
shortly following Cannes' award announcements.
Diop directed a documentary, ''
In My Room
"In My Room" is a song written by Brian Wilson and Gary Usher for the American rock band the Beach Boys. It was released on their 1963 album '' Surfer Girl''. It was also released as the B-side of the " Be True to Your School" single. The single ...
'', as part of Miu Miu's
Women's Tales series, which blended audio recordings of her maternal grandmother, Maji, with footage Diop shot of herself in her Parisian apartment during the time she was quarantined during the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic.
Mati Diop's work has also been featured at the
Venice Film Festival
The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...
, the
New York Film Festival
The New York Film Festival (NYFF) is a film festival held every fall in New York City, presented by Film at Lincoln Center (FLC). Founded in 1963 by Richard Roud and Amos Vogel with the support of Lincoln Center president William Schuman, it is ...
, the
BFI London Film Festival
The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival founded in 1957 and held in the United Kingdom, running for two weeks in October with co-operation from the British Film Institute. It screens more than 300 films, documentaries and shor ...
in 2012, and the
Valdivia International Film Festival
The Valdivia International Film Festival (Spanish: Festival Internacional de Cine de Valdivia (FICV o FICVALDIVIA)) is an international film exhibition and competition, held annually in the city of Valdivia, Los Rios region, Chile.
The festival ...
,
as well as the
Museum of the Moving Image
The Museum of the Moving Image is a media museum located in a former building of the historic Astoria Studios (now Kaufman Astoria Studios), in the Astoria neighborhood in Queens, New York City. The museum originally opened in 1988 as the Amer ...
in 2013.
Acting
Diop made her acting debut in
Claire Denis
Claire Denis (; born 21 April 1946) is a French film director and screenwriter. Her feature film ''Beau Travail'' (1999) has been called one of the greatest films of the 1990s, as well as of all time. Other acclaimed works include '' Trouble Ev ...
' film ''
35 Shots of Rum'' (2008), playing the lead role of a young woman in a close-knit relationship with her father, whom she has trouble leaving as she gets ready for marriage. She received a nomination for the
Lumières Award for most promising actress
The Lumières Award for Most Promising Actress (french: Prix Lumières du meilleur espoir féminin) is an annual award presented by the Académie des Lumières since 2000.
Winners and nominees
Winners are listed first with a blue background, foll ...
for her role in the film.
In 2012, she appeared in the film ''
Simon Killer
''Simon Killer'' is a 2012 film directed by Antonio Campos with a screenplay by Campos from a story by Campos, Brady Corbet and Mati Diop. The film revolves around a young American man named Simon who is visiting Paris and his relationship with a ...
'' and was also credited with the story behind the script. Diop continues to act sporadically in films and television.
Artistry and themes
In their article on Diop's work up to ''Atlantics'' (2019), Lindsay Turner states that Diop's work is often concerned with trans-nationalism, immigration, the female experience, and post-colonialism in relation with North Africa and Europe.
Additionally, Diop is known to use aspects of magical realism in her films, examples including ''Atlantics'' (2019), ''Snow Cannon'' (2011), and ''Big in Vietnam'' (2012). Diop can also be quoted talking about her storytelling processes, notably on how she uses sets and props to convey her plots as opposed to just characters and dialogue.
During additional interviews, Diop has mentioned that she has done a majority of her own cinematography and is deeply interested in multiculturalism and multilingualism in film, as her films are often in two to three different languages.
Filmography
Acting
Filmmaking
Accolades
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Diop, Mati
Living people
1982 births
Film directors from Paris
French people of Senegalese descent
French film actresses
21st-century French actresses
Actresses from Paris
Senegalese women film directors