Quartier Mozart
An irreverent, modern urban fable that made Jean-Pierre Bekolo's name at 25
- Directed by :
- Jean-Pierre Bekolo
- Genre :
- Fiction (comedy)
- Running time :
- 1 h 20
- Languages :
- French
The story
A curious girl nicknamed 'Chef de quartier' wants to discover the life of her neighbourhood. A sorceress turns her into a young man, 'Montype'. She then discovers the neighbourhood's macho ways and must woo Samedi, daughter of the policeman Chien Méchant, who is himself bringing a second wife home.
Why it matters
Jean-Pierre Bekolo's first feature, shown at Cannes in 1992 when he was 25. It blends folk tale and urban culture, far from the usual image of the 'African film'. The critic Cameron Bailey wrote that it did for Cameroon's capital what Spike Lee had done for Brooklyn.
Filming
Cameroon; the story is set in a working-class neighbourhood of Yaoundé.
Awards and selections
- Prix Afrique en Création, Cannes Film Festival 1992
- Swissair Prize and Carte Jeune Prize, Locarno Film Festival 1992
- Special mention, Montreal World Film Festival 1992
Cast
- Serge Amougou — Montype, the girl turned into a young man
- Sandrine Ola'a — Samedi
- Jimmy Biyong — Chien Méchant, the policeman, Samedi's father
- Essindi Mindja — Atango, the tailor
- Joëlle Bekolo — Chef de quartier, the curious girl
What sources disagree on
According to Wikipedia, the title comes from a former red-light district of Douala in the 1950s, although the story takes place in Yaoundé.