Mati Diop’s documentary Dahomey, winner of the Golden Bear at this year’s Berlinale, has been selected as Senegal’s entry to the 2025 Academy Awards.
It marks the second time French-Senegalese director Diop has been chosen for the Oscars after her debut feature Atlantics, which made it as far as the shortlist in 2019 after winning the grand prix at Cannes.
Dahomey tells the story of 26 royal artefacts stolen by French colonial troops in 1892, which were sent from Paris back to what is now the Republic of Benin in 2021. Using multiple perspectives Diop questions how these artefacts should be received in a country that has reinvented itself in their absence.
The film recently received its North American premiere at Toronto and has its US premiere this weekend at the Camden International Film Festival. It will then screen at New York Film Festival before opening nationally on October 18.
International sales are handled by Les Films du Losange and Mubi acquired rights for North America, UK & Ireland, Latin America, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Turkey and India during the Berlinale.
Eve Robin and Judith Lou Levy of France’s Les Films Du Bal produced, and Diop’s Fanta Sy served as co-producer.
It marks Senegal’s sixth entry to the Oscars since it began submissions in 2017. While the country has yet to be nominated it has been shortlisted twice: Alain Gomis’ Félicité in 2017 and Diop’s Atlantics in 2019.
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