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Lucky Girl

Uprooted to France, an African girl creates inner doubles to cope and fulfil her mother’s dreams.

synopsis

Libreville, Gabon, 1993. Lili (5) and her brother Alpha (9) celebrate the opening of their mother’s nightclub. Celeste, a charismatic self-made Cameroonian, already runs a restaurant with the help of her eldest son, Roger (20). When Lili and Alpha’s conservative father discovers the discotheque, he threatens to send the kids to his village in Senegal. Celeste takes them to France on a vacation, but once in Bordeaux, she returns alone to Gabon to manage her businesses. Left behind, the three siblings have to fend for themselves. Uprooted, separated from her mother and facing racism, Lili grows up haunted by PTSD. To cope, she dissociates into doubles – bolder, freer versions of herself who never left Africa. As her family’s situation worsens, Lili struggles to stay grounded and heal, while still striving to fulfil her mother’s dream of success.

Director’statement

Telling my story has allowed me to confirm a paradox: the more personal the story, the more universal it is. Lucky Girl follows a little African girl who unwillingly migrates to France with her two older brothers. The film describes the handing down of a powerful heritage from a flamboyant African matriarch – omnipresent despite her absence – to her daughter, who pursues success to do honour to her. It questions the supposed “luck” of living in the West. This family drama takes a few side trips into fantasy: the doubles provide mirrors that the heroine can project herself into to escape the PTSD she is experiencing due to uprooting and racism. It’s an exile tale about joy, sacrifice, the lost paradise of childhood and its illusions which lead us to idolise our parents. My aim is to make a stylish, poignant, intensely radiant and atmospheric film told from Lili’s unique point of view. This film filled with hope is a love letter to siblings, to the African land, and to dual cultures.

TFL PROGRAMME:
FeatureLab 2025

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