Female director Mati Diop wins Golden Bear at Berlin Film Festival

In Berlin on February 24, 2024, a ceremony was held to award the best filmmakers as part of the Berlin Film Festival.

The prize for best film went to French-Senegalese-born actress and director Mati Diop for her documentary Dahomey. The film is named after the state of the same name that existed for 280 years (1620 - 1900) on the territory of modern Benin and Togo. The film tells about the fate of cultural property that belonged to the rulers of Benin and was exported to Europe. In 2021, only a fraction of them returned to Africa.

Still from the film "Dahomey"

Mati Diop has already received the highest festival awards. In 2019, at the Cannes Film Festival, her debut feature film “Atlantique” received the Grand Prix.

Source and photos: press service of the Berlin Film Festival