Chadian director Mahamet-Saleh Haroun makes what he calls 'film de quartier,' or neighborhood movies, meaning that his films tell stories about the familiar faces we all come in contact with in our day-to-day lives. This hyper-local approach to storytelling has served him well, with films like his first documentary, Bye Bye Africa, which he also stars in as a version of himself, and his latest film, Grigris, about a young dancer named Grisgris played by newcomer Souleymane Deme. Both films were screened as part of Cameras d'Afrique, a month-long screening series co-hosted by Film Independent at LACMA and the LMU School of Film & Television, and curated by Elvis Mitchell.
Banner image courtesy of Film Independent