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"I am an African man who decided to go down in history."
Baye Laye is the captain of a fishing pirogue who reluctantly accepts a job leading a boat of refugees to Europe. Overseeing this group of 30 men who don't all speak the same language - some of whom have never seen the sea - proves as perilous as he first suspected, and then some.
With a topical plot line echoing the daily headlines, filmmaker Moussa Touré brings an all-too human face to the plight of refugees and asylum seekers, delivering an emotional wallop as he does. The seafaring scenes are both intensely stunning and affecting, with tight-as-a-drum dramatic conflict.
“Illuminating the desperate and moving human stories behind lurid headlines about illegal immigration, La Pirogue is a colorful and compelling drama.” - Hollywood Reporter
D Moussa Touré P Les Chauves Souris S Eric Névé, David Bouchet WS Memento Films L Senegalese w/English subtitles TD 35mm/2012