Mambar Pierrette
A Douala seamstress facing the start of the school year and the rains
- Directed by :
- Rosine Mbakam
- Genre :
- Fiction (bordering on documentary)
- Running time :
- 1 h 33
- Languages :
- French
The story
As the new school year approaches, customers flock to the workshop of Pierrette, a neighbourhood seamstress in Douala who supports her three children and her mother. A confidante to the women she dresses, she sees the rains flood her home and threaten her livelihood.
Why it matters
Rosine Mbakam's first fiction film; she is a much-awarded documentary-maker. It was selected for the Directors' Fortnight at Cannes in 2023. The lead is played by Pierrette Aboheu Njeuthat, the director's cousin and a non-professional actor. The film was first shown to Cameroonian audiences in September 2025, at the Instituts français in Douala and Yaoundé.
Filming
Douala; a Belgium–Cameroon co-production.
Awards and selections
- Directors' Fortnight, Cannes Film Festival 2023
- In competition for the Sutherland Award (first feature), BFI London Film Festival 2023
- Selected for the New York Film Festival
Cast
- Pierrette Aboheu Njeuthat — Pierrette, the seamstress
What sources disagree on
Sources class it sometimes as a documentary, sometimes as fiction; Wikipedia calls it a hybrid work.