Guelwaar : A 21st-Century Tale from Africa
Synopsis
A region of Senegal, in Africa, where traditional rites remain strong and no one dares violate ritual law. Guelwaar, a steadfast man who defended the idea of a corruption-free, self-sufficient Africa, is about to be buried. Guelwaar died from his wounds after being physically attacked. But on the morning of his funeral it is discovered that his corpse has disappeared from the morgue.
Due to an administration error, a powerful Moslem family has mistakenly buried Guelwaar's body in "its" cemetery. Guelwaar, however, was head of a Catholic family. During the funeral, no one wants to admit to the wife and mourners that Guelwaar's coffin is empty.
So another body has to be found - and fast. The Moslems in question, the Ciss family, refuse to cooperate for fear of losing face, and so the corpse of Meyssa Ciss remains in the morgue's refrigerator.
The quarrel that breaks out between the two social groups provides an opportunity to revive the memory of Guelwaar through the use of flash-backs...
Credits
Director (1)
Actors (10)
Production and distribution (5)
- Executive Producer : Galatée Films
- Co-production : France 3 Cinéma
- Foreign production companies : Channel Four Television, Filmi doomirew
- Film exports/foreign sales : Galatée Films, Filmi doomirew
- French distribution : Les Films du Paradoxe
Full credits (7)
- Executive Producer : Jacques Perrin
- Screenwriter : Ousmane Sembene
- Director of Photography : Dominique Gentil
- Music Composer : Baaba Mall
- Editor : Marie-Aimée Debril
- Sound Recordist : Ndiouga Mactar Ba
- Press Attachés (film) : Anne Kiremidjian, Eva Simonet
Technical details
- Type : Feature film
- Genres : Fiction
- Sub-genre : Drama
- Production language : French, African dialect
- Coproducer countries : Senegal, Germany, Great Britain
- Original French-language productions : Unspecified
- Nationality : Majority French (Senegal, Germany, Great Britain)
- Production year : 1992
- French release : 24/11/1993
- Runtime : 1 h 47 min
- Current status : Released
- Visa number : 78.676
- Visa issue date : 15/09/1993
- Approval : Yes
- Color type : Color
