Banel & Adama

Banel & Adama (Banel et Adama) is a 2023 French-Malian-Senegalese romantic drama film directed by Senegalese screenwriter Ramata-Toulaye Sy in her feature directorial debut. It premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on 20 May 2023. It was chosen as the Senegalese entry for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.

Plot
Banel and Adama live in a remote village in northern Senegal where they have always lived. Adama is calm and introverted, while Banel displays a passionate and rebellious nature. Both are very much in love and long to have their own house. It is for this reason that the couple decided to live separately from their respective families. The balance of the community is disrupted when Adama refuses to fulfill his blood duty as future leader. He informs the village council, which causes a lot of tension and doubt.

Cast

 * Khady Mane as Banel
 * Mamadou Diallo as Adama
 * Binta Racine Sy
 * Moussa Sow
 * Ndiabel Diallo
 * Oumar Samba Dia
 * Amadou Ndiaye

Production
Banel & Adama is Ramata-Toulaye Sy's first feature film. The cast, composed of non-professional actors, performs in the Pulaaar r, a variant of the Fula language. The film was shot on location in northern Senegal between May and June 2022.

Banel & Adama was produced by Eric Névé and Maud Leclair from La Chauve-Souris, and Margaux Juvenal from Take Shelter.

Release
Banel & Adama premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on 20 May 2023, where competed for the Palme d'Or.

The film was distributed in France by Tandem on 30 August 2023.

Reception
The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 94% with an average rating of 6.6/10, based on 16 reviews. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 69 out of 100, based on 6 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.