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Zanatany, When Soulless Shrouds Whisper film image; people walking through street

Zanatany, When Soulless Shrouds Whisper

Zanatany, L’empreinte des linceuls esseulés

VIFF Short Forum

Canadian Premiere

Tensions rise in the community, days before the little known 1976 Majunga massacre.

 

Supported by

    

Community Partner

Director
Cast

Soeuf Elbadawi, Hatia Ali, Moindjoumoi Ahmed Assoumani, T. Syldio Cristophe, Habib Cesar Marson

Credits
Country of Origin

Belgium/France/Qatar

Year

2024

Language

In Comorian, Malagasy and French with English subtitles

Film Contact
18+
27 min
Black Cinema Human Rights & Social Justice Shorts
The Blue Raincoat

Credits & Director

Producer

Jérémy van der Haegen, Manon Coubia, Nicolas RinconGille

Screenwriter

Ahamada Hachimiya

Cinematography

Charlotte Michel

Editor

Thibaut Verly

Original Music

Nawal Mlanao

Hachimiya Ahamada headshot; Zanatany director

Hachimiya Ahamada

Hachimiya Ahamada studied directing at INSAS, Belgium. She directed her first short fiction film Residence Ylang-Ylang (2008), presented at the Cannes International Critic’s Week in 2008. Later, she made a more intimate film called Ashes of Dreams (2011) which featured a filmed letter addressed to her father. Zanatany (2024) is Hachimiya’s second fiction film. With this project, she continues her work on the trajectories of the Comorian diaspora to which she belongs. Between fiction and observation of reality, she builds a universe whose narrative deepens her relationship to her roots.

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