Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, Locarno 2001

This film takes us amidst the Senegalese community in Paris. L'Afrance tackles issues of migration and identity, and brings together themes that run as a red line throughout most other films in competition: crisis in the family and inter-personal relations. Without being didactic the film explores possible avenues for overcoming the painful disengagement and opens up perspectives of hope. The Jury appreciates the originality of the cinematic language and the film's strong cross-cultural appeal.