The African Desperate, by Martine Syms
Within the programming of
Mati Diop’s favourites
French-Senegalese filmmaker Mati Diop chooses to open October’s Contemporary Film series with an amusing satire on the pretensions of the art world; a tumultuous portrait of sex and drugs in the age of the internet.
| Target audience: | General public |
| Location: | Sala Audiovisual |
| Price: | 4€ |
The African Desperate, by Martine Syms. United States, 2022.100 min.
“One of those ‘had to say it’ films; it’s crystal clear, and I get the feeling that for its author it was inevitable. I was impressed by the political acuity of this film and its combination of constructive subtlety and expository rudeness. When I discovered it, I wanted to see it again as soon as I finished – like that pop song you’d listen to endlessly – and watch the irreverent and magnetic Diamond Stingily, a dream actress with an incredible physical presence.” Mati Diop. In her first 24 hours as a graduate of a master of fine arts programme in New York, Palace Bryant must survive a confusing, hilarious and mind-boggling odyssey. Several professors have criticised her dissertation, insinuating that her success is not due to her art, but to other attributes. She is exhausted, frustrated and wants to return home to Chicago to see her family. She plans a silent protest by not attending the prom, even though she has promised to DJ.
Martyne Syms (USA, 1988) holds a master of fine arts degree from Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, and a bachelor of fine arts degree from the Art Institute of Chicago. As an artist, she has gained international recognition for a practice that combines the conceptual, humour and social critique. Her work has been exhibited in museums and art institutions around the world, including solo exhibitions at MoMA, the Art Institute of Chicago and Tate Modern. She has participated in the Whitney Biennial, the Gwangju Biennial, Manifesta and the New Museum Triennial.
