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BÉNARÈS

by Barlen Pyamootoo

synopsis

Mayi and Nad are two young men from the remote village of Benares, at the very southern end of Mauritius. They catch a ride into the city with Jimi, a wordly older man who knows the ways of Port Louis. Jimi promises women, and in a charmingly matter-of-fact scene, they visit Maman, elegant in her sari but a businesswoman nonetheless. She offers the men Mina and Zelda. The women refuse to travel all the way to the backwater of Benares, but Maman insists. As Jimi drives his pickup truck past swaying fields of cane, Mayi and Nad coax Mina and Zelda out of their frosty reserve. What began as a crass transaction becomes a true exchange of ideas and impressions of life. They talk and flirt in the back of the truck, letting the wind rush over them. As it turns out, these four young Mauritians are philosophers in their own right. The conversation turns to football, to love and to that other faraway Benares - now Varanasi - the sacred city in India.

international title: Bénarès
original title: Bénarès
country: France, Mauritius
sales agent: Pyramide International
year: 2005
genre: fiction
directed by: Barlen Pyamootoo
film run: 80'
release date: FR 29/03/2006
screenplay: Barlen Pyamootoo
cast: Davidsen Kamanah, Sandra Faro, Jéröme Boulle, Kristeven Mootien, Vanessa Li Lun Yuk, Danielle Dalbert
cinematography by: Jacques Bouquin
film editing: Annette Dutertre
art director: Nirmal Hurry
music: Ernest Wiehe
producer: Joël Farges, Elise Jalladeau
production: Artcam International
backing: Centre National de la Cinématographie, ARCADI, Mala Pyamootoo, Paul Olsen , Barclay's Bank PLC Mauritius
distributor: Pyramide Distribution

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