Soumsoum, The Night of the Stars

Soumsoum, Yıldızlı Gece / Soumsoum, la nuit des astres

DCP / Color / 101’
Arabic, French; with Turkish and English Subtitles
France, Chad, 2026

Director: Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
Screenplay: Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
Cinematography: Mathieu Giombini
Editing: Svetlana Vaynblat
Cast: Maïmouna Miawana, Ériq Ebouaney, Achouackh Abakar Souleymane, Brigitte Tchanégué, Sambo Saleh Adam, Christ Assidjim Mbaihornom
Producer: Florence Stern
Production: Pili Films (France) / Goï-Goï Productions (Chad)
World Sales: Films Boutique

Synopsis

The striking and poetic visual style of Soumsoum, The Night of the Stars captures the mesmerizing beauty of the ancient rock formations and cave paintings of the Ennedi Plateau in the Sahara Desert. This breathtaking location perfectly aligns with the magical realism of the film, which feels like a mirage. Furthermore, Soumsoum, The Night of the Stars utilizes mystical elements as metaphors to explore prejudices, gender discrimination, female solidarity, and generational trauma in the rural areas of modern-day Chad. The protagonist of the film, seventeen-year-old Kellou, is troubled by prophetic visions of both the past and the future. She cannot fully understand the nature of her supernatural powers until she encounters Aya, an outcast woman who was present at her birth and is aware of her gift. Living in a tribal, patriarchal society, Kellou is considered a stranger, a jinx, and ‘blood-born.’ The village men, in particular, are deeply prejudiced against her because her mother died while giving birth to her, and her father is an alleged murderer who migrated to the village. Nevertheless, Kellou possesses strong agency; she challenges her community, refusing repression and rejecting the labels imposed upon her.

Screenings