Dahomey

From acclaimed filmmaker Mati Diop (Atlantics), DAHOMEY is a poetic and immersive documentary that delves into real perspectives on far-reaching issues surrounding appropriation, self-determination and restitution. Set in November 2021, the film charts 26 royal treasures from the Kingdom of Dahomey that are due to leave Paris and return to their country of origin: the present-day Republic of Benin. Using multiple perspectives, Diop questions how these artifacts should be received in a country that has reinvented itself in their absence. Winner of the coveted Golden Bear prize at the 2024 Berlinale, DAHOMEY is an affecting though altogether singular conversation piece that is as spellbinding as it is essential.

"Diop’s film is so daring: On the surface, it’s about the physical markers of culture and history, but it’s made in such a way that we understand the items we see in museums are more than just records of something that happened long ago." ~ Brian Tallerico, RogerEbert.com