New US Trailer for Stunning Love Story ‘Banel & Adama’ from Senegal
by Alex Billington
April 18, 2024
Source: YouTube
“Back when we were kings, masters of ourselves, masters of the world, free. Today, who are we?” Kino Lorber has revealed an official US trailer for Banel & Adama, a visually magical African love story movie from French filmmaker Ramata-Toulaye Sy. This premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival in the Main Competition, and went on to play at the Toronto, London, Chicago, and Denver Film Festivals in 2023. It’s now set for a US release starting in June this summer. Kino Lorber is pleased to present Banel & Adama, a haunting, visually stunning West African love story and the directorial debut of Ramata-Toulaye Sy. A young couple in Senegal must contend with the disapproval of their remote village. This stars Khady Mane as Banel and Mamadou Diallo as Adama. It received mostly positive reviews out of last year’s film festivals, praising both the gorgeous cinematography and passionate performances from the two leads, which we get a glimpse of in this trailer. Glad it will be getting a proper art house theatrical run in the US soon. Take a look.
Here’s the official US trailer (+ posters) for Ramata-Toulaye Sy’s Banel & Adama, direct from YouTube:
Banel and Adama are fiercely in love. The married couple lives in a remote village in northern Senegal. For them, nothing else exists except each other. But for the rest of their tight-knit village, duty dictates that Adama accept the role of chief. The two lovers have their own plans… until something in the air changes. The rains do not come, the cattle begin to die, the men leave. The curse weighs on Adama’s sense of duty, and the chasm between them drives Banel into a feverish, mystical chaos. Banel & Adama is a lush and lyrical West African dreamscape, a tragic romance that soars to the heights of longing and descends deep into the realm of myth as it sets its protagonists’ perfect everlasting love on a collision course with their community’s traditions. Banel & Adama is written & directed by French filmmaker Ramata-Toulaye Sy, making her feature directorial debut after a short film previously. It’s produced by Margaux Juvénal, Maud Leclair-Névé, & Éric Névé. This initially premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival last year. Kino Lorber will debut Banel & Adama in select US theaters starting on June 7th, 2024 this summer. Who’s intrigued?