La Petite Vendeuse de Soleil
Encyclopedia
La Petite Vendeuse de Soleil (or The Little Girl Who Sold the Sun) is a 1999
Senegalese
short drama film
, directed by Djibril Diop Mambéty
which premiered posthumously after his death in 1998.
La Petite Vendeuse de Soleil is a film exalting the lives and promise found among ordinary Senegalese. It depicts a young beggar girl, Sili, who on crutches, confidently makes her way through a city of obstacles, becoming the first girl to sell a daily newspaper in the competitive world of young male newspaper vendors. Mambéty dedicated this last film to "the courage of street children
". The scenes are expertly played by non-professional actors and with the participation of the street children.
It was screened as part of the International Forum of New Cinema section at the 49th Berlin Film Festival in 1999.
La Petite Vendeuse de Soleil was originally intended as the second film of a trilogy under the title, Tales of Ordinary People. However, Mambety’s untimely death in 1998 prevented the completion of the third film.
and opened in other film festivals on the dates given below.
and is distributed by California Newsreel Productions
.
, A.O. Scott described the film as a "masterpiece of understated humanity".
1999 in film
The year 1999 in film involved several noteworthy events and has been called "The Year That Changed Movies". Several significant feature films, including Stanley Kubrick's final film Eyes Wide Shut, Pedro Almodóvar's first Oscar-winning film All About My Mother, science fiction The Matrix, Deep...
Senegalese
Cinema of Senegal
The cinema of Senegal is a relatively small film industry which experienced its prime from the 1960s through to the early 1980s, but has since declined to less than five feature films produced in the last ten years.-Early films: 1955-1969:...
short drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
, directed by Djibril Diop Mambéty
Djibril Diop Mambéty
Djibril Diop Mambéty was a Senegalese film director, actor, orator, composer and poet. Though he made only a small number of films, they received international acclaim for their original and experimental cinematic technique and non-linear, unconventional narrative style. Born to a Muslim family...
which premiered posthumously after his death in 1998.
La Petite Vendeuse de Soleil is a film exalting the lives and promise found among ordinary Senegalese. It depicts a young beggar girl, Sili, who on crutches, confidently makes her way through a city of obstacles, becoming the first girl to sell a daily newspaper in the competitive world of young male newspaper vendors. Mambéty dedicated this last film to "the courage of street children
Street children
A street child is a child who lives on the streets of a city, deprived of family care and protection. Most children on the streets are between the ages of about 5 and 17 years old.Street children live in junk boxes, parks or on the street itself...
". The scenes are expertly played by non-professional actors and with the participation of the street children.
It was screened as part of the International Forum of New Cinema section at the 49th Berlin Film Festival in 1999.
La Petite Vendeuse de Soleil was originally intended as the second film of a trilogy under the title, Tales of Ordinary People. However, Mambety’s untimely death in 1998 prevented the completion of the third film.
Synopsis
The film depicts a young beggar girl, Sili, who on crutches, confidently makes her way through a city of obstacles, evading a group of bullies, and selling newspapers to make money for herself and her blind grandmother.Cast
- Lissa Balera as "Sili"
- Dieynaba Laam as "Grandmother"
- Tayerou M'Baye as "Babou Seck"
- Martin N'Gom as "Gang Leader"
- Oumou Samb as "Crazy Woman"
Release
La Petite Vendeuse de Soleil debuted on 1 February 1999 at the International Film Festival RotterdamInternational Film Festival Rotterdam
The International Film Festival Rotterdam is an annual film festival held in various cinemas in Rotterdam, Netherlands held at the end of January. It is approximately comparable in size to other major European festivals such as Cannes, Venice, Berlin, and Locarno...
and opened in other film festivals on the dates given below.
| Region | Release date | Festival |
|---|---|---|
| Netherlands Netherlands The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders... |
1 February 1999 | International Film Festival Rotterdam International Film Festival Rotterdam The International Film Festival Rotterdam is an annual film festival held in various cinemas in Rotterdam, Netherlands held at the end of January. It is approximately comparable in size to other major European festivals such as Cannes, Venice, Berlin, and Locarno... |
| Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
20 February 1999 | Berlin International Film Festival Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978... |
| New Zealand New Zealand New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga... |
27 July 1999 | Wellington Film Festival |
| Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
12 September 1999 | Toronto International Film Festival Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues... |
| U.S.A United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
October 1999 | Chicago International Film Festival Chicago International Film Festival The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America.... |
| Hong Kong Hong Kong Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour... |
21 April 2000 | Hong Kong International Film Festival Hong Kong International Film Festival The Hong Kong International Film Festival is a platform for filmmakers, film professionals and filmgoers from all over the world to launch and experience new film work. There are seminars, conferences, exhibitions, and parties celebrating the festival community... |
| Norway Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... |
1 May 2002 | Kristiansand International Children's Film Festival Kristiansand International Children's Film Festival Kristiansand International Children's Film Festival is an organised, extended presentation of international children's films in one or more movie theaters or screening venues, usually in a single locality... |
Home Release
La Petite Vendeuse de Soleil (The Little Girl who Sold the Sun) was released on DVD coupled with Le FrancLe Franc
Le Franc is a 1994 Senegalese short comedy film, directed by Djibril Diop Mambéty.Le Franc is about Marigo, a penniless musician living in a shanty town, relentlessly harassed by his formidable landlady....
and is distributed by California Newsreel Productions
California Newsreel
California Newsreel, founded in 1968, is an American non-profit, social justice film distribution and production company based in San Francisco, California. Their educational media resources include both documentary and feature films, with a focus on the advancement of racial justice and diversity...
.
Critical Response
Critical response to the film was mostly positive. Reviewer for The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, A.O. Scott described the film as a "masterpiece of understated humanity".
- "The last film by Senegalese filmmaker Djibril Diop Mambéty (1945–98) is a wondrously affirmative marketplace legend-cum-political allegory about an indomitable crippled girl, granddaughter of a blind street singer, who reinvents herself as a newspaper vendor. The score is infectious, and the metaphor overwhelming." – The Village VoiceThe Village VoiceThe Village Voice is a free weekly newspaper and news and features website in New York City that features investigative articles, analysis of current affairs and culture, arts and music coverage, and events listings for New York City...
- "The dreams of Djibril Diop Mambety have flown beyond the screens, to glide like whimsical and devouring suns." – Ecrans d'AfriqueEcrans d'AfriqueFounded by African filmmakers in Burkina Faso in 1992, during a period of intense worldwide interest and commentary on African T.V. and film, the bilingual journal Ecrans d'Afrique: Revue Internationale de Cinema Television et Video explored all aspects of African film production...
Accolades
La Petite Vendeuse de Soleil earned various awards and nominations, with the nominations in categories ranging from recognition of the film itself to its screenplay, direction and editing, to the performance of the lead actor, Lissa Balera. It was selected as one of the ten best films of 2000 by the Village Voice.| Year | Film Festival | Award | Category | Recipients and nominees | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Castellinaria International Festival of Young Cinema | Special Mention | Acting | Lissa Balera | |
| International Biennal for Film Music | International Prize for Film and Media Music | Special Mention | Wasis Diop Wasis Diop Wasis Diop is a Senegalese musician of international renown, known for blending traditional Senegalese folk music with modern pop and jazz... |
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| Namur International Festival of French-Speaking Film | ACCT Promotional Award | Best Actor/Actress of the South | Lissa Balera | ||
| Golden Bayard | Best Film (Meilleur Film Francophone) | Djibril Diop Mambéty Djibril Diop Mambéty Djibril Diop Mambéty was a Senegalese film director, actor, orator, composer and poet. Though he made only a small number of films, they received international acclaim for their original and experimental cinematic technique and non-linear, unconventional narrative style. Born to a Muslim family... |
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| Jury Special Prize | Djibril Diop Mambéty Djibril Diop Mambéty Djibril Diop Mambéty was a Senegalese film director, actor, orator, composer and poet. Though he made only a small number of films, they received international acclaim for their original and experimental cinematic technique and non-linear, unconventional narrative style. Born to a Muslim family... |
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| Procirep Award | Djibril Diop Mambéty Djibril Diop Mambéty Djibril Diop Mambéty was a Senegalese film director, actor, orator, composer and poet. Though he made only a small number of films, they received international acclaim for their original and experimental cinematic technique and non-linear, unconventional narrative style. Born to a Muslim family... |
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| 2000 | Aspen Shortsfest | The Ellen | Djibril Diop Mambéty Djibril Diop Mambéty Djibril Diop Mambéty was a Senegalese film director, actor, orator, composer and poet. Though he made only a small number of films, they received international acclaim for their original and experimental cinematic technique and non-linear, unconventional narrative style. Born to a Muslim family... |
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| Chicago International Children's Film Festival Chicago International Children's Film Festival Founded in 1975, Facets Multi-Media, located at 1517 W. Fullerton Avenue, Chicago, 60614 Facets Multi-Media is the largest conservator dedicated to the exhibition, distribution & education of foreign, independent & classic cinema... |
Adult's Jury Award | Short Film or Video – Live-Action | Djibril Diop Mambéty Djibril Diop Mambéty Djibril Diop Mambéty was a Senegalese film director, actor, orator, composer and poet. Though he made only a small number of films, they received international acclaim for their original and experimental cinematic technique and non-linear, unconventional narrative style. Born to a Muslim family... |
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| Los Angeles Pan African Film Festival | Best Short | Djibril Diop Mambéty Djibril Diop Mambéty Djibril Diop Mambéty was a Senegalese film director, actor, orator, composer and poet. Though he made only a small number of films, they received international acclaim for their original and experimental cinematic technique and non-linear, unconventional narrative style. Born to a Muslim family... |
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