In Benin, the water people, who once fought against colonisation, are now facing water hyacinth, a colonising plant that reproduces at breakneck speed, suffocating the lake. Realism and imagination intertwine, as if one were only understandable or tolerable because of the other.
Biographies
Victor Missud’s work takes a poetic interest in people marginalised from a territory and society, who become non-professional actors and actresses in his works. Blending documentary, fiction and genre cinema, his works have been presented and awarded prizes in France and abroad – Visions du Réel, IFF Rotterdam, Hors Pistes – Centre Pompidou, Rencontres Internationales Paris/Berlin, Etats Généraux du Documentaire de Lussas. In 2024, he joined Le Fresnoy – National Studio of Contemporary Arts.
Italian and a graduate in Art Economics from Bocconi University, Marina Russo Villani trained in cinema and screenwriting in France, at the Sorbonne Nouvelle and Paris Nanterre. A screenwriter and director of fiction and documentaries, she co-wrote ‘À qui le monde’ (To Whom Does the World Belong), a fantastical political fable that paints a fantastical and ironic portrait of how the world works. In parallel with her work as an author, she founded her production company, Filibusta, in 2023.
