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“Les Prière de Delphine” is the only African work to have won an award at the 43rd edition of the international documentary film festival – Cinéma du réel.
The 43rd edition of the Cinéma du Réel festival ended on 21 March with the awarding of several prizes to the various films in competition. A festival that has become a must in the world of documentaries, the Cinéma du Réel brings together each year filmmakers and documentary filmmakers from all continents who come to show their work. At the end of the festival, various awards are given to the films in competition.
This year only one film represented Africa in the international selection. It is the documentary Les Prières de Delphine by Cameroonian Rosine Mbakam. A documentary of 1h30 minutes which portrays Delphine, a young Cameroonian woman who, after the death of her mother and the resignation of her father from his parental responsibilities, is raped at the age of 13. She sinks into prostitution to support herself and her daughter. She marries a Belgian man three times her age, hoping to find a better life in Europe for her and her daughter.
At the end of the 43rd edition of the Cinéma du réel festival, the film was awarded the Young People’s Prize, with a prize of €15,000 offered by the Ciné+ channel. With les prières de Delphine , Rosine Mbakam signs her third feature documentary film after Les Deux visages d’une femme bamileke (2017) and Chez jolie coiffure (2018). Both films were selected in numerous festivals around the world and were praised by international critics (New Yorker, New York Times, LA Times, Variety…). Les Prières de Delphine seems to follow the same path as the director’s previous films, which explore social phenomena close to her heart.
Rostand Wandja
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