On Sunday, 12 November, following the screening of Montparnasse Bienvenue at Cankarjev dom’s Linhart Hall, moderator Toni Cahunek was joined by lead actor Souleymane Seye Ndiaye to discuss the making of Léonor Serraille’s latest film. Ndiaye talked about the filming process and how it was to work with the allegedly introverted – by her own account ­– French director.

Although a naturally shy person, the filmmaker granted considerable freedom to the cast, letting them reinvent their characters. It is on account of this openness to interpretation that Ndiaye was allowed to make some Senegalese quips. This added sparkle to the film about a girl who decides, after a long string of bad luck, to make a new start. Ndiaye’s character was modelled after a true story about a jobless African acquaintance of the director’s, who decided to take up further studies instead of idling away his time. Despite his incredible talent, he was frustrated in his efforts to pursue an academic career, and eventually took the job of a security guard in a shopping centre. The Ljubljana screening was only the second time that Ndiaye saw the film, but festivals are in important occasion to spread the positive message. Plus, the film that received Camera d'Or for best first feature at Cannes 2017 made him a star also in Slovenia. He concluded by revealing that Léonor Serraille had embarked on a new project, but he didn’t know whether it was a sequel to Montparnasse Bienvenue or not.

Andraž Jež

Photo Iztok Dimc