Souleymane’s Story (2024) follows an undocumented Guinean immigrant, Souleymane (Abou Sangare) through the bustling streets of Paris for over two days as he makes bike courier food deliveries while preparing for his asylum interview.
Part of an underground economy of couriers who rent verified accounts, Souleymane works morning to night, piecing together a life between the strict schedule of the homeless shelter he stays at with other immigrants, and fitting in as many deliveries as possible to avoid penalties from the app.
This event is part of Fugitive Journeys, a day long program on migrant labour, emancipatory struggles and the lasting impacts of French colonialism.
3-5PM: West Indies: The Fugitive Slaves of Liberty (1979) film screening
5-6PM: Panel discussion with Chris Ramsaroop, Melanie Newton and Kevin Edmonds
6:30-8PM: Souleymane’s Story (2024) film screening
*Register for films separately. Panel discussion is included with registration to West Indies.
Presented with the Caribbean Solidarity Network, UofT’s New College Community Engaged Learning and Caribbean Studies.
Boris Lojkine taught philosophy at the Aix-Marseille Université before he entered filmmaking. Initially he made documentary films inspired by his time in Vietnam. In 2013 he shot his first feature film Hope in Africa, which won the SACD prize during International Critics’ Week in 2014. For Camille he received the Audience Award at the Locarno Film Festival 2019. L’Histoire de Souleymane, Lojkine’s third feature film, had its world premiere at Cannes 2024 in the Un Certain Regard section, where it won the Jury Prize and Abou Sangare was named Best Actor in a Leading Role for his portrayal of Souleymane.