We, Students!
Rafiki Fariala | Central African Republic, France, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Saudi Arabia | 2022 | 82'
Screenings
Thu 5 May H 18:30
Section
Original title
Nous, étudiants!
Synopsis
Nestor, Aaron and Benjamin are the best friends of Rafiki. They are all studying economics at the University of Bangui. The director films himself and his friends and captures a slice of daily life never seen before in this remote corner of African where young people express themselves sincerely in front of the camera, putting humour, emotions and their private lives on the line. After lectures, the group meets in front of the university or in the decrepit student residence to exchange ideas and worries about the future. The first documentary on an African university milieu seen from an internal and shared perspective.
Cast
Nestor Ngbandi Ngouyou, Aaron Koyasoukpengo, Benjamin Kongo Sombot, Rafiki Fariala
Films Distribution
Karta Film
Production
Makongo Films
Editing
Rafiki Fariala
Cinematography
Rafiki Fariala
Editing
Xavier Sirven, Christian Moïse Nzengue
Language
Sango, French
Subtitles
Italian
Premiere
Italian premiere
Main awards
Special Mention of the Jury (Cinéma du Réel - Paris)
Biography
Rafiki Fariala was born in the Congo in 1997 and during the war he fled with his family to the Central African Republic. He conducted the school choir and then began to compose music as a soloist: in 2013 he published the song “Why War?” which gave him a certain fame as a musician. In 2017, he took part in a workshop on documentaries organized by the Ateliers Varan in Bangui, after which he made his first short film, You and Me, screened at the festivals of Lausanne, Montreal, Saint-Denis, Lille and Biarritz. We, Students! had its world premiere at the 2022 Berlinale.
Filmography
2022 – We, Students!, ff
2017 – You and Me, sf