Waterford Film For All presents Souleymane’s Story (2024)

Waterford Film For All presents Souleymane’s Story

Souleymane is an asylum seeker from Guinea living in Paris, forced to join the daily rush for a bed in a homeless shelter. Unable to work legally, he earns some money by ‘renting’ someone else’s work profile on a food delivery app. He also pays a fellow Guinean to coach him in a false story seen as more likely to pass an imminent asylum review. But it’s clear Souleymane’s true home situation is taking a constant emotional toll as he navigates the streets of Paris alone.

Anchored by an extraordinary lead performance from Abou Sangaré, Souleymane’s Story is a raw, compassionate and quietly devastating story about one man forced to live precariously on the fringes of society.

Festivals
Cannes Film Festival, 2024

Awards
Winner – Un Certain Regard – Best Performance (Abou Sangare) – Cannes Film Festival, 2024
Winner – Best European Actor (Abou Sangare) – European Film Awards, 2024

Reviews
“★★★★ Abou Sangare takes a gold medal for standout lead performance of the year… He is mesmerising as the titular refugee.” – Hilary White, Irish Independent

“With empathetic yet unsentimental means, Lojkine gracefully explores both the insurmountable pressures of the asylum-granting system and the precarious conditions of the gig economy.” – Marina Ashioti, Little White Lies