African Film Archive

Dahomey

2024 — Mati Diop — Senegal, France, Benin

documentary · documentary · present

Narrated in part from the point of view of a returned artifact, Mati Diop's 67-minute documentary follows 26 royal treasures of the Kingdom of Dahomey as they travel from a French museum back to Benin in 2021, and won the Golden Bear at the 2024 Berlinale.

Fun fact: Diop became the first Black director in Berlinale history to win the Golden Bear; the film's 67-minute runtime is unusually short for a Golden Bear winner, though this pass did not independently verify it as the single shortest winner across the festival's full history.

Notes: Objects had been looted by French colonial forces in 1892 and were returned to Benin in 2021. Pioneer priority: third Mati Diop entry alongside Atlantiques (2009) and Atlantics (2019).

Verification: verified · Sources: [1] [2] [3]

Poster source: Wikipedia