Djembefola (1991)

Director:

Laurent Chevallier

Writers:

Laurent Chevallier, Pierre Marcault

3 wins.

Storyline

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Genres:

Documentary

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Details

Country:

France

Language:

English French

Release Date:

15 September 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Djembe soikoon

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rhea Films, La Sept

Technical Specs

Runtime:

65 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in Gangs of New York (2002)

User Reviews

Documentary, African drummer leaves village, makes it big in the world. Great drumming!!

I saw this more than twelve years ago, but it sticks with me. The documentary follows a drummer from a francophone African country village on his world tour and through his triumphant return to his village. The complex emotions he and his friends and family express on his return are deeply moving -- he has seen the world and has had the world see his talent and the culture of his people, and the tears express both that immense journey and also that he had been so absorbed in the moment in his journey that his rapprochement with his people is a sudden shock --- as if only then does he realize that he has been away. There are ample episodes of complex, polyrhytmic drumming (the djembe) worth the viewing in themselves.