Madama Esther awarded the Poulain d’Argent at FESPACO 2015
Madama Esther, a short film by the Madagascan director Luck Razanajaona, has won the Poulain d'Argent (Silver Colt) award at the 24th edition of FESPACO, the Pan-African Film Festival of Ouagadougou, after coming second in the Best Short Film category.
This film was made possible by the
Haraka!initiative, which CFI launched in 2012 in a bid to provide young directors aged under 35, hailing from across the whole of Sub-Saharan Africa and who had already learnt the basics of the profession, with the means to develop their careers.
Ten short films have so far been supported by the initiative, with each receiving €10,000 in funding.
The film tells the story of Madama Esther, a cleaning lady aged around 50, who has just lost her job. As she now cannot keep her promise to take her grandson (who is under her care) to see the sea, she agrees to host illegal cockfights in her backyard.
Placing the audience alongside grandmother and grandson,
Madama Esther depicts a world in which angels and villains exist cheek by jowl.
The film was also awarded the Zebu d'Or Fiction (Golden Zebu – Fiction) at the Madagascan Short Film Summit in May 2014, and the Tanit d'Argent (Silver Tanit) at the Carthage Film Festival in December 2014.
