The story of a Serer village in the groundnut basin of Senegal. Using the words of their ancestors passed on by oral folklore, the villagers trace the history of their village and their difficulties in working their land and living off their produce. Fad'jal is an extraordinary boundary defying film that interweaves ethnographic footage, intimate observation of everyday village life and fictionalised historical scenes. With it, Faye carefully encourages the viewers to reflect both on African history and storytelling, and on the intersection of fiction and documentary.
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Not on any streaming service in United States, and not available to rent.
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Cast
9 people
Safi Faye Director · Patrick Fabry Cinematographer Jean Monod Cinematographer
First release January 2, 1979 · Produced in Senegal · Original title Fad'jal
Production
Senegal
Produced in
Languages
Original title
Fad'jal
Original language
French
Release dates
Senegal · January 2, 1979
Theatrical
No release date listed for United States.
Australia
August 3, 2023 · Premiere · Melbourne International Film Festival
Germany
February 1, 1979 · Berlin International Film Festival
Japan
March 17, 1989 · TV premiere
United Kingdom
March 29, 2019 · RAI Film Festival
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Some details come from TheTVDB.