Cameroonian filmmaker Rosine Mbakam (Chez Jolie Coiffure, Delphine’s Prayers) has distinguished herself for her quietly observational documentary portraits of African women. With Mambar Pierrette, her feature narrative debut, Mbakam turns her documentarian’s eye to the eponymous Pierrette, a gifted seamstress who works to support her young children and mother.
The city of Douala, Cameroon is getting ready for the start of the school year. A long line of customers come to Pierrette to prepare their clothes for upcoming social events and ceremonies. More than a seamstress, she is the confidant of her customers and community. But when it starts pouring and the rain threatens to flood her workshop – one of many misfortunes – Pierrette will have to struggle to stay afloat. Marked by moments of beauty and quiet grace, Mbakam’s naturalistic approach favors a portrait of resilience in the face of adversity and socioeconomic hardship.
Screening in our African Cinema Now! series curated by the Akojo Collective.
Akojo Film Collective says:
Mbakam presents a glimpse into the daily life of Mambar Pierrette, played by her cousin. A quiet but persistent journey through the city of Douala, Cameroon, invites us into the goings-on of Pierrette’s life. Moving through joy and disaster, we are able to quietly follow a film invested in the quotidian pleasures and worries of life as a woman.
An original filmmaker of exquisite sensibility; one of the foremost filmmakers of creative nonfiction working right now.
Richard Brody, The New Yorker
As in Mbakam’s bravura nonfiction, the simplicity and directness of Mambar Pierrette belie a penetrating emotional and political vision.
Devika Girish, Film Comment
A smartly spun tapestry of everyday life.
Screen Daily
Community Partner
UBC Africa Awareness Initiative
Rosine Mbakam
Pierrette Aboheu, Karelle Kenmogne, Cécile Tchana, Fabrice Ndjeuthat
Belgium/Cameroon
2023
In Bamileke, French and Pidgin with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits
Screenwriter
Rosine Mbakam
Cinematography
Fiona Braillon
Editor
Geoffroy Cernaix
Also Playing
Sirât
A desperate father (Sergi Lopez) searchers for his missing daughter through the spiritual wasteland of the Moroccan desert. An unforgettable sensory powerhouse, Sîrat will have you riveted and rattled for hours after the end credits have rolled.
Mr. Nobody Against Putin
Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary, and Special Jury Prize Winner, Sundance, 2025, this exposé shot by a Russian primary teacher shows how the Putin propaganda machine works to militarize children.
The Choral
Yorkshire, 1916. Dr Henry Guthrie (Ralph Fiennes) is entrusted with the role of chorus master — despite his suspicious ties with Germany. As conscription papers arrive, the community is thrown into chaos, but music proves a worthy distraction.