Screening of “Dahomey”
A documentary directed by Mati Diop
Screening as part of the 19th edition of the Cinema & Human Rights Festival in Toulouse and Midi-Pyrénées, from January 5 to 25, 2026
The screening of the film Dahomey will be followed by a discussion with Tatiana Rybaltchenko, curator at the Collections and Promotion Department of Les Abattoirs.
In November 2021, France will return 26 royal treasures from Dahomey (an ancient African kingdom, now Benin) looted by the French colonial army in 1892. These works, preserved for over a century at the Quai Branly Museum, are embarking on a journey back to their land of origin.
The film follows this process, but goes beyond simple restitution to question the memory, identity, and spirituality associated with these objects. Mati Diop takes a unique approach: giving voice to the works themselves, notably a royal statue (known as “lot 26”), which speaks in Fon, a Beninese language, in a mysterious and animistic voiceover.
Dahomey does not merely document a transfer of objects: it questions colonial memory, the place of artworks in the construction of identity, and the way in which cinema can restore a soul to museum objects. Mati Diop offers a reflection that is both political and spiritual, placing her film within a decolonial cinema approach.
Dahomey was awarded the Golden Bear at the 2024 Berlin Film Festival.
Running time: 1 hour 7 minutes
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Cinema and Human Rights Festival – 19th edition
January 5 to 25, 2026 – Toulouse and Occitanie
A civic event to understand and take action
The Cinema and Human Rights Festival returns for its 19th edition, from January 5 to 25, 2026, in Toulouse and in numerous venues throughout the Occitanie region. Organized by a collective of committed associations (Amnesty International, ACAT, CCFD-Terre Solidaire, Médecins du Monde, Médecins Sans Frontières, École des Droits Humains et de la Terre, Les Amis du Monde diplomatique), this event invites the public to explore major contemporary issues through cinema.