Fusing elements of old African folk tales with the avantgarde sensibilities of the French New Wave, Senegalese filmmaker Djibril Diop Mambéty created one of the most startling and distinctive films of African cinema.

Mambéty’s colourful and comical parable tells the story of two young lovers, Mory and Anta, who dream of escaping a poverty-stricken existence in Senegal for a new life in Paris, the City Of Lights – to finance their passage, they turn to crime, with mixed results. Like its talented creator, who only completed a handful of features before his premature passing in 1998, Touki Bouki remains a true one-off. Eschewing a formal, linear approach to filmmaking in favour of rhythmic smash cuts and dissonant soundscapes, the film positively crackles with the frenetic energy of the streets of Senegal. Don’t miss this rare big screen outing for a truly seminal work – you won’t regret it.

Rory Bonass, JDIFF