Sunday, December 1, 2024 | 2:30 - 3:45pm | MFA Boston - Remis Auditorium (465 Huntington St., Boston, MA 02115

Directed by Mati Diop (France and Senegal, 2024, 68 min.). French with English subtitles.

In 2021, 26 royal treasures from the Kingdom of Dahomey were returned to Benin, marking a significant moment after more than a century of being held in France. This documentary blends fact and fiction to tell the story of these artifacts, taken during the colonial era and displayed at Paris’s Musée du Quai Branly. Now housed in a museum in Abomey, their return prompts reflections on cultural heritage and loss. The film features Beninese students critiquing the return of only 26 out of 7,000 objects. A statue of King Ghezo, voiced by Haitian writer Makenzy Orcel, shares its memories of exile and homecoming. Winner of the Golden Bear for Best Film at the 2024 Berlin International Film Festival. Watch the trailer.