AFFFF25 The Story of Souleymane

Winner of three major awards at Cannes and Best Actor at the recent European Film Awards, writer/director Boris Lojkine’s propulsive drama follows a young courier as he races across Paris whilst preparing for a life-changing residency interview. Delivery workers have become an indispensable part of city life, especially since the pandemic. Among them is Souleymane (Abou Sangaré, in a commanding debut), who criss-crosses the frenetic Parisian streets in a constant race against the clock. He, like many around him, is working without permission, ‘renting’ his identity from a friend with legal status. But in just two days, Souleymane will learn whether his own asylum application will be approved or not. So, whilst striving to meet his delivery platform’s demands, he nervously practices for his interview, trying to keep his growing anxiety at bay… A major artistic highlight of this year’s Festival, Lojkine’s compassionate drama echoes not only Bicycle Thieves and the best films of the Dardennes, but also edge-of-your-seat thrillers such as Full Time (AF FFF23), and fast-became both a national talking point and word-of-mouth hit across France. Only adding to the film’s immense power is the real-life situation of its remarkable lead, who has already been denied citizenship by the French authorities. Three times.