Beninese director Aymar Esse’s debut feature “My Father’s Kora” will premiere at the Locarno Film Festival’s Open Doors section on August 9. The international co-production, involving partners from Benin, Switzerland, and Germany, centers on an Afro-German trans man named Souleymane who journeys from Berlin to Dakar to restore his father’s traditional 21-string kora instrument. The narrative uses this restoration as a lens to examine themes of identity, belonging, and cultural acceptance within a conservative Muslim society.
According to Esse, the film transcends simple activism by emphasizing the humanity of its protagonist. Rather than focusing on labels or categories, the work explores how unconditional family love can reshape perceptions. The director characterizes the project as a meditation on repair, memory, and musical healing, employing poetic imagery drawn from the natural world and traditional craft practices to convey deeper meaning about identity and faith.
The kora itself functions as a rich metaphor throughout the narrative. Each component—the skin, strings, and neck—carries symbolic weight connected to bodily experience, cultural ties, and structural identity. Esse notes that Senegal’s increasingly restrictive climate toward LGBTQ communities makes the familial warmth depicted in the film particularly significant, representing a singular story rather than widespread acceptance.
The production received support through the Steps Generation Africa program and Swiss development funding. Following its world premiere, the film will screen at Germany’s Afrika Film Festival Köln in September.
Originally reported by Variety →
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