On May 16th, Atlantics by Mati Diop will have its world premiere in official competition at the Cannes Film Festival
The film’s original score was composed by FATIMA AL QADIRI
Selected for Official Competition, Mati Diop’s long-awaited feature debut is a story about a soon-to-be-inaugurated futuristic tower looms over a suburb of Dakar, along the Atlantic coast. Ada, 17, is in love with Souleiman, a young construction worker. But she has been promised to another man. One night, Souleiman and his co-workers leave the country by sea, in hope of a better future. Several days later, a fire ruins Ada’s wedding and a mysterious fever starts to spread. Little does Ada know that Souleiman has returned.
Mati Diop, niece of the late, great Senegalese cinema pioneer Djibril Diop Mambéty — director of African cinema classics “Touki Bouki” and “Hyènes” — makes her feature film directorial debut with “Atlantique,” which will world premiere at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival on 16 May. Diop is the daughter of Senegalese jazz musician Wasis Diop, but cinephiles will likely be more familiar with her filmmaker uncle.
“She is the first black woman with a film in the 72-year-old festival’s Competition section, and stands to be one of the biggest breakouts at Cannes this year.” – Indiewire
About composer FATIMA AL QADIRI :
Fatima Al Qadiri is a Kuwaiti music producer and artist. She has released music as a solo artist on Hyperdub, Tri Angle, UNO NYC and Fade to Mind, and as a member of the group Future Brown on Warp. Al Qadiri is also a member of the Gulf-based collective GCC, whose work has been exhibited at MoMA PS1, Fridericianum, Berlin Bienniale and Sharjah Art Foundation. Her writing has appeared in Bidoun, Frieze and DIS.