Contemplating Cannes Film Festival and the African Immigrant

Akin Omotoso

One of the additional features of The Festival De Cannes is the steady presence of very expensive yachts by the shore.

As you walk past the yachts, you can’t help but think you are missing out on whatever important business is going on there.

The Cannes Film Festival is the annual migration meeting point of filmmakers the world over. They gather to showcase their work, network with potential partners and sell their products.

I found myself staring beyond the yachts to the sea. It led me to think of the recent Mediterranean boat disaster where at least 800 people died trying to find a better life away from the countries of their birth. Fellow migrants like us, seeking out the opportunities the world has to offer.

Jonas Carpignano directorial debut Mediterranea premiered at the La Semaine de la Critique (International Critics week) – a parallel section of the Cannes Film Festival that focuses on discovering new talent. Mediterranea is an extension of Carpignano’s award winning short film A Chjana.

Meditterranea tells the story of a young Burkinabe man who leaves his native Burkina Faso in search of a better life, making the perilous journey to Italy, only to find he is unprepared for the intolerance facing immigrants in that country.

Standing there on the shore I thought of Meditterranea and the power of cinema. The power to render these ghosts of the deep blue sea into our collective migrant imagination at a festival on an island dedicated to cinema.