Mambar Pierrette

The seamstress and single mother Mambar Pierrette (played by filmmaker Rosine Mbakam’s cousin, Pierrette Aboheu Njeuthat) lives in rain-soaked Douala, Cameroon. At the start of the school year, customers line up outside her shop. They’re there not only for new or repaired clothing but also for advice and a confidant. As the story unfolds, you’ll experience Mbakam’s eye for depicting everyday life and subtly capturing the way larger systems affect individuals. Despite the oppression she experiences in a male-dominated society, and even amid environmental disasters and financial adversity, Pierrette maintains her valiant and no-nonsense drive. She continues to care for others, who also, in return, keep her afloat.

The Toronto International Film Festival describes Mambar Pierrette as “among the year’s most rewarding features, with a quietly political vision that refutes tired portrayals of hardship by way of its tenacious hero, whose spirit will not be broken.” In French with English subtitles. (93 mins., DCP)
 
With a focus on African women, Cameroonian filmmaker Rosine Mbakam (now based in Belgium) is one of the finest young documentarians working today. She memorably visited the Wexner Center to present her film Chez Jolie Coiffure at the 2019 Unorthodocs festival and the following year was commissioned to create a short film for the center’s Cinetracts ’20 project.