The periphery in the center – the films of Alice Diop

The French filmmaker Alice Diop (*1979) is interested in the margins of society. The daughter of Senegalese parents, she grew up in the Parisian suburb of Aulnay-sous-Bois and usually focuses on the banlieue and its inhabitants in her films. Her cinematic work is a deliberate act of bringing the periphery into the center, of showing the otherwise invisible, those hidden by society, and of making underrepresented voices heard. Diop’s focus is on Black and migrant communities in France but the film also reflects the country’s majority population. Before coming to documentary filmmaking, Diop studied history and visual sociology; her work is characterized by the close relationship between society and cinema and between sociological issues and cinematographic form. With regard to her precise cinematic observations, Diop sees herself in the tradition of Jean Rouch and Frederick Wiseman, although the personal dimension of her films and her strong presence are more indicative of her own style - which has recently evolved to feature films.

As part of the French Film Week, Arsenal is showing Alice Diop’s documentary works from 2005 to 2020, as well as the German premiere of her multi-award-winning feature debut SAINT OMER (2022), which we are very pleased to announce the director herself will attend. (Birgit Kohler)

Due to scheduling difficulties, Alice Diop unfortunately had to cancel her visit.

An event with the kind support of the Institut français. Thanks to Grandfilm and Around the World in 14 Films.