Thousands of royal artifacts of Dahomey, a West African kingdom, were taken by French colonists in the 19th century for collection and display in Paris. Centuries later, a fraction returned to their home in modern-day Benin. This dramatized documentary follows the journey of 26 of the treasures as told by cultural art historians, embattled university students, and one of the repatriated statues himself.
Keywords
- Berlinale
- Black History Month
- Cine-Short: 90 Minutes of cinema
- European Film Awards
- Les César du cinéma
- Nominated for the César Award 2025
- Nos films avec sous-titres pour sourds et malentendants
- Nos films en audiodescription
- San Sebastian Film Festival
- Sooner team’s favourite movies of 2025
- The Golden Bear
- World Cinema
Actors
- Gildas Adannou
- Habib Ahandessi
- Joséa Guedje
- Imelda Batamoussi
Director
- Mati Diop
Documentary
1h 8min
FRENCH
DUTCH
FRENCH
The journey of 26 plundered royal treasures from the Kingdom of Dahomey exhibited in Paris, now being returned to Benin.
The journey of 26 plundered royal treasures from the Kingdom of Dahomey exhibited in Paris, now being returned to Benin.
Thousands of royal artifacts of Dahomey, a West African kingdom, were taken by French colonists in the 19th century for collection and display in Paris. Centuries later, a fraction returned to their home in modern-day Benin. This dramatized documentary follows the journey of 26 of the treasures as told by cultural art historians, embattled university students, and one of the repatriated statues himself.
Festivals
Cast & Crew
Director
Mati Diop
Cast
Gildas Adannou
Cast
Habib Ahandessi
Cast
Joséa Guedje
Cast
Imelda Batamoussi