Souleymane's Story
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''Souleymane's Story'' (), previously titled ''The Story of Souleymane'', is a 2024
French film The cinema of France comprises the film industry and its film productions, whether made within the nation of France or by French film production companies abroad. It is the oldest and largest precursor of national cinemas in Europe, with prima ...
directed by Boris Lojkine from a script he wrote with Delphine Agut. The film stars Abou Sangaré as Souleymane, an
immigrant Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not usual residents or where they do not possess nationality in order to settle as permanent residents. Commuters, tourists, and other short- ...
from
Guinea Guinea, officially the Republic of Guinea, is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Guinea-Bissau to the northwest, Senegal to the north, Mali to the northeast, Côte d'Ivoire to the southeast, and Sier ...
working for a
food delivery Food delivery is a courier service in which a restaurant, store, or independent food-delivery company delivers food to a customer. An order is typically made either by telephone, through the supplier's website or mobile app, or through a thir ...
service in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
. The film had its world premiere at the ''
Un Certain Regard (; 'A Certain Glance') is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's official selection. It is run at the Debussy, parallel to the competition for the . This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob. The section presents 20 films with unusua ...
'' section of the
2024 Cannes Film Festival The 77th annual Cannes Film Festival took place from 14 to 25 May 2024. American filmmaker and actress Greta Gerwig served as jury president for the main competition. American filmmaker Sean Baker (filmmaker), Sean Baker won the Palme d'Or, the ...
, where it won the Jury Prize and the Performance Prize. It received eight nominations at the
50th César Awards The 50th César Awards ceremony, presented by the Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma, was held on 28 February 2025 at the Olympia in Paris, honouring the best French films of 2024. Actress Catherine Deneuve presided over the ceremony f ...
, including
Best Film The following is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various films, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Bes ...
, and won four awards: Best Supporting Actress (for
Nina Meurisse Nina Meurisse (born 14 November 1988) is a French actress. For her role in Souleymane's Story, she won the Cesar Award for Best Supporting Actress. Theater Filmography Cinema Television References External links * Livin ...
), Best Male Revelation (for Sangaré),
Best Original Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award (also known as an Oscar) for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. It was created in 1940 as a separate writing award from the Academy Award for Best ...
and Best Editing.


Premise

''Souleymane's Story'' follows Souleymane, a recent
Guinean Demographics of Guinea describes the condition and overview of Guinea's peoples. Demographic topics include basic education, health, and population statistics as well as identified racial and religious affiliations. Population According to t ...
immigrant, through the streets of
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
as he prepares for his
asylum application An asylum seeker is a person who leaves their country of residence, enters another country, and makes in that other country a formal application for the right of asylum according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 14. A pers ...
interview while working for a meal delivery service on his e-bike. The themes revolve around the exploitation of the 'sans papiers' (without papers) often by fellow Africans - one a fellow immigrant from northern Guinea who lazily coaches asylum applicants to recite false stories of political persecution at their hearings in return for payment, and another who lends Souleymane a food delivery account but then takes half of his earnings every week. The film largely avoids depictions of racism but equally, there are few acts of kindness in the film.


Cast

* Abou Sangaré as Souleymane *
Nina Meurisse Nina Meurisse (born 14 November 1988) is a French actress. For her role in Souleymane's Story, she won the Cesar Award for Best Supporting Actress. Theater Filmography Cinema Television References External links * Livin ...
as the
OFPRA The right of asylum, sometimes called right of political asylum (''asylum'' ), is a juridical concept, under which people persecuted by their own rulers might be protected by another sovereign authority, such as a second country or another enti ...
agent * Alpha Oumar Sow as Barry * Emmanuel Yovanie as Emmanuel * Younoussa Diallo as Khalil * Ghislain Mahan as Ghislain * Mamadou Barry as Mamadou * Yaya Diallo as Yaya * Keita Diallo as Kadiatou


Production

While developing the film, Lojkine and casting director Aline Dalbis consulted with food delivery workers in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
to learn about the challenges they faced and got to know members of the city's
Guinean Demographics of Guinea describes the condition and overview of Guinea's peoples. Demographic topics include basic education, health, and population statistics as well as identified racial and religious affiliations. Population According to t ...
immigrant community. The film's star, Abou Sangaré, was identified during an open casting call conducted as part of this research. He had no acting experience. Sangaré had immigrated to France seven years prior to casting, while he was still a teenager, and his personal story was incorporated into the film's narrative. He works as a heavy truck mechanic in
Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; , or ) is a city and Communes of France, commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme (department), Somme Departments of France, department in the region ...
and it was this acting role that helped Sangaré secure permanent residency in France. Scenes in which Souleymane delivered food on his bicycle were filmed by a cameraman riding a bicycle alongside the actor. To write the final asylum interview scene, the filmmakers gathered input from Guinean
asylum seekers An asylum seeker is a person who leaves their country of residence, enters another country, and makes in that other country a formal application for the right of asylum according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 14. A pers ...
and sat in on interviews conducted by Ofpra (the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons).


Release

''Souleymane's Story'' had its world premiere at the ''
Un Certain Regard (; 'A Certain Glance') is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's official selection. It is run at the Debussy, parallel to the competition for the . This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob. The section presents 20 films with unusua ...
'' section of the
2024 Cannes Film Festival The 77th annual Cannes Film Festival took place from 14 to 25 May 2024. American filmmaker and actress Greta Gerwig served as jury president for the main competition. American filmmaker Sean Baker (filmmaker), Sean Baker won the Palme d'Or, the ...
, where it won the Jury Prize and the Performance Prize, and the
FIPRESCI Prize The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for ''Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique'') is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the worl ...
for the ''Un Certain Regard'' section. Pyramide Distribution released the film in French cinemas on 9 October 2024.


Reception


Critical response


Accolades


Notes


References


External links

* {{IMDb title, tt32086046 2024 films 2020s French films Films about immigration 2024 drama films French drama films Films featuring a Best Actor Lumières Award–winning performance Films featuring a Best Supporting Actress César Award–winning performance