Night Nursery picked as 2022 iREP’s Closing Film

Yinka Olatunbosun

GARDERIE NOCTURNE (Night Nursery), the film that won the Best Documentary film grand prize at the 2021 Pan African Film Festival, FESPACO in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, has been selected as the closing film for the 2022 iREP International Documentary Film Festival, holding from March 17 to 20 in Lagos and virtually.

The 67-minute film directed by Moumouni Sanou, will be the last of the over 60 films to be screened in the course of the 4-day festival, which will also feature conversations, training, workshops, mentorship session and producers’ roundtable among other niche items that distinguish the festival from others in its class.

The 2022 iREP Festival dotting on its conceptual framework of ‘Africa in Self-Conversation’ is exploring the theme ‘UNFILTERED: African Stories. Stories from Africa’, which according to the organisers is to examine “how Africa is being represented or otherwise by filmmakers and storytellers who engage her issues.” 

Scheduled for screening on Sunday February 20, as the last of the over 60 films featuring in the festival, Night Nursery, which drew popular appeal after it was announced at the winner of the FESPACO 2021 Stallion of Gold of Yennenga Prize, is a fascinating story of the lives and activities at a popular ‘social’ centre in Bobo Dioulasso, one of Burkina Faso’s major cities. 

Set in the county town of Bobo-Dioulasso, near Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou, sex workers leave their offspring in the care of Ms. Coda, an elderly lady who has been caring for children whose mothers earn their living on the streets at night for decades. Filmmaker Moumouni Sanou has managed over the years to gain the trust of everyone involved and gain a deep insight into the lives of Odile and Farida, both of whom depend on Ms. Coda’s services. Sanou’s reserved, respectful look makes clear the advantages of horizontal filmmaking, which is characterized by the greatest possible attention and sensitivity towards the protagonists.

The 67-minute flick, produced by Berni Goldblat, juror at the African Movie Award Academy (AMAA), it is co-produced by Les Films Du Djabadjah (Burkina Faso), Vrai Vrai Films(France), and Blinker Filmproduktion (Germany), had also won Best Film Award Astra Film Festival Romania 2021’ Best Documentary Award Mashariki Film Festival Rwanda 2021; Honourable Award at Panorama Internacional Coisa De Cinema Brazil 2021. It was a major feature at the 2021 Berlin International Film Festival; and in January began its European tour, starting in Germany.