Le Franc
Marigo the musician dreams of his instrument – a congoma – which his landlady has impounded because of his chronic rent non-payments. Getting hold of a lottery ticket, he decides to put it in a safe place while awaiting the drawing: he glues it to the back of his door and covers it with the poster of his childhood hero. The night of the drawing, a fortune blinds Marigo: the winning number is the same as the one as the ticket stuck to his door! Marigo can see it now: he, a millionaire, with a thousand congomas, an orchestra and private plane… But the problem is that he’s glued the ticket to this door. So he tears the door from its hinges and takes it to the lottery office. Le Franc is the first part in a planned trilogy, “Histoires de petites gens” (Tales of Little People). To the director, the title of this first film, Le Franc (The Franc) not only refers to money one wins or steals but also the “frank” individual. (Djibril Diop Mambety, Senegal, 1994, 46 min.) In Wolof with English subtitles
followed by:
The Little Girl Who Sold the Sun
For a very long time, the hawkers who sold newspapers on the streets of Dakar were, without exception, all boys. But, this morning, their domination was challenged. What happened? Sili - for it is thus that the little girl is called - is between ten and thirteen years old. She lives on the streets and gets around with the help of two crutches. She begs next to the boys selling their newspapers. But, this morning, she was violently pushed aside by the boys! She rolled over onto the tarmac. Her skirt came open, revealing her fragile, intimate places. Her crutches ended up yards away. She had to struggle to stand up. She is deeply upset. Her mind is made up. Starting tomorrow, she'll sell newspapers like everyone else. What's good enough for men is good enough for women. The small world of the newspaper sellers is a merciless place. She will discover pain, dreams... and finally, friendship. This story is a hymn to the courage of street children. - Djibril Diop Mambety (Djibril Diop Mambety, Senegal, 1999, 45 min.) In Wolof and French with English subtitles
