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Currently in post-production is Soleils (which translates as Suns in English) co-directed in Burkinabe filmmakers, Olivier Delahaye’s and Dani Kouyate, from a script by Delahaye.

With a cast that includes Binda Ngazolo and Nina Melo, the film tells the story of an old wise man who is entrusted with curing a young girl struck by amnesia. He takes her on a healing trip to Ouagadougou by way of the Cape, Berlin, Mali and Belgium. In their travels, which are full of surprises, they meet a variety of characters described as remarkable and luminous, or ignorant, with set ideas, as well as some fantastical creatures, and a text hidden deep in a continent that reveals a well kept secret.

The project received a €350,000 advance on receipts from the French National Film and Moving Image Centre (CNC) last year – or about $430,000.

Principal photography began on June 4, last year, with negotiations ongoing at the time for distribution in France and other international markets.

Some may be familiar with Kouyate’s past work – specifically the visually enthralling Sia, The Dream Of The Python, which won the Special Jury Prize at the 2001 FESPACO event.

It received a limited theatrical release in the USA in 2002, and was met with mostly positive reviews from critics.

It was eventually released on DVD in 2007 as a double-feature with another Burkinabé film, Tasuma, The Fighter. You can find the disk on DVD on Netflix, but not streaming. It’s worth a look though.

He is also the son of one of the first Burkinabé actors, the late Sotigui Kouyaté

Soleils is a film on my Cannes 2013 predictions list, where I’m anticipating it’ll debut, this year. But we’ll be watching for it.

I discovered a fundraising trailer for the film online, narrated by actress Nina Melo, which is also, thankfully, subtitled.

It’s embedded below:

Dani Kouyate

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