Les Hustlers
Amah Egome
France, Togo | 2014 | 53 min
World premiere
Language : Mina
Subtitles : French, English
Ekoué, Léon, Blacky and Zorro live in the Lomé bidonville known as “Katanga“, the place where most part of the local fishermen dwell. Always looking for a deal to strike and the cheapest bargain, they spend most of their time together. Known to the other residents of Katanga as the “hustlers“, they are always ready to take whatever job shows up. Even if it is an illegal one.
Ekoué, Léon, Blacky and Zorro live in the bidonville of Lomé, Togo, known as “Katanga“, the place where most of the local fishermen dwell. Always looking for a deal to strike and the cheapest bargain, they spend most of their time together. Known to the other residents of Katanga as “the hustlers”, they are always ready to take whatever job shows up. Even if it is an illegal one. But as time flies away, it gets more and more difficult to live from hand to mouth on a daily basis, always looking to score, while the only means to chase sorrow and worries away is booze and drugs. Chronicling lives on the outskirts of the Empire, Amah Egome’s film is a precise look from the inside at the ordeals of young African males torn between unemployment, lack of hope and desperation. Without wallowing in misery or voyeurism, the film offers a precise portrait of a place and its micro cosmos. Working with the tools of direct cinema, and drawing on his experience as director for radio documentary, Amah Egome has created a film that challenges all preconceived ideas about Africa.
Giona A. Nazzaro
