by Jo Gaye Ramaka
In the central courtyard of the prison at Goree, the richly costumed inmates and guards play on improvised percussion instruments the famous "N’Deï Geï" by the virtuoso percussionist Doudou N’Diaye. Marking the eleven percussive beats with movements of her hips, Karmen invites the prison governor to dance. At first the governor is surprised and hesitates, but finally she lets herself be taken into the center of the circle. They start a beautiful dance together which inflames Karmen’s companions. In the middle of the night, the prison governor goes to Karmen in her cell... A month later, in a popular district of Dakar, Karmen seduces Police Lieutenant Lamine Diop in the middle of his wedding party and scars Lamine’s bride with her penknife when she tries to intervene. «Karmen Geï», is the story of a passion which unfolds to the rhythm of a «black» Carmen guided by Mozart’s Requiem.
Joseph Gaye Ramaka was born 9 November 1952 in Saint Louis, (Senegal). After studying visual anthropology in Paris at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales and film at the Institut des Hautes Etudes Cinématographiques in Paris, he set up the production and distribution company "Les Ateliers de l’Arche" in France, then its annex in 1997 in Senegal. In 1998 "Les Ateliers de l’Arche" opened "Espace Bel’Arte" in Dakar and organised the first network of movie theatres. He directed a short film «Ainsi soit-il» (Africa Dreaming) which was awarded the "Silver Lion" at the Venice Film Festival in 1997. «Karmen Geï» is his first feature film.
Director’s point of view
«The story of Carmen is a myth. Like all myths, its meaning at a given period depends on the person who is trying to tell it. What does Carmen represent today? What does Carmen’s passion and freedom mean at the beginning of the 21st century? That is the project of my film in which Carmen becomes Karmen, a black Karmen plunged in the magical, chaotic urban life of an African city. For everyone Carmen is both a character and an opera and her name evokes music.
The scenario of the film respects two rules: it is faithful to the original dramatic dimension of the tragedy, and it calls upon many musical and choreographic elements which are indispensable in dealing with such a subject. In this transposition of the myth these elements take their roots in contemporary African music and dance. For these two key elements in the film I sought out three exceptional artists: David Murray, Julien Jouga and Doudou Ndiaye Rose. I benefited from the advice of Karine Saporta and Oumy Samb (Senegalese dancer).»
Production :
EURIPIDE PRODUCTIONS
Frédéric Sichler/Daniel Toscan du Plantier
15, rue Vézelay
75008 Paris (France)
Telephone : +33 (0) 1 56 43 64 00
Fax : +33 (0) 1 56 43 64 01
E-mail : euripide@euripide.com
Coproduction :
LES ATELIERS DE L’ARCHE
Ghaël Samb Sall
Route des Almadies
BP 16758 Dakar (Senegal)
Telephone : + 00 221 821 47 75
Fax : + 00 221 822 90 58
E-mail : archeyoff@sentoo.fn
MATARANKA INC.
Richard Sadler
44/46, boulevard saint-laurent # 804
Montréal - Québec (Canada)
Telephone : + 00 1 514 281 01 34
Fax : + 00 1 514 985 25 63
E-mail : rsadler@stockintl.ca
ZAGARIANKA PRODUCTIONS
Philippe Cosson
Chez les Films du Grain de Sable
206, rue de Charanton
75012 Paris (France)
Telephone : + 33 (0) 1 43 42 06 55
Fax : + 33 (0) 1 40 19 07 56
E-mail : zagprod@club-internet.fr
With the participation of :
FONDS SUD CINEMA (Ministère des Affaires étrangères et Centre National de la Cinématographie) (France); ADC Sud (Ministère des Affaires étrangères); Média Développement; Fondation Stanley; CEE; ACCT; Mini traité Franco-Canadien; Sofinergie; Arte France Cinéma; Canal+; Canal+Horizons; Téléfilm Canada.
Distribution France :
EURIPIDE DISTRIBUTION
Eric Vicente
19, rue d’Antin
75002 Paris (France)
Telephone : +33 (0) 1 53 30 27 40
Fax : +33 (0) 1 53 30 06 47
E-mail : evicente@euripide.com
Web Site : http://www.euripide.com
International Sales :
UGC INTERNATIONAL
Patrick Binet
2, rue des Quatre-Fils
75003 Paris (France)
Telephone : +33 (0) 1 40 29 89 00
Fax : +33 (0) 1 53 30 06 67
Festival :
Special screening at la Quinzaine des Réalisateurs Cannes 2001
Print version