After ten years of absence, Abe, a Beninese-Canadian professional returns to his home country to visit the grandfather that raised him, who now lies on his deathbed. Abe is riddled with guilt and regret for having neglected his grandfather for the last decade, during which he turned his back on his country and family. He now seeks pardon from his grandfather. He has boarded a plane to Lagos, from where he undertakes the one-hour drive to Cotonou, Benin's capital. Safurat, an up-and-coming Afro-Soul singer, is also traveling from Lagos to Cotonou. She is invited to perform at a concert in Cotonou. Despite her success, dynamism and strength of character, Safurat finds it hard to stand up to her overbearing mother, who wants her to stay in a difficult marriage. Abe and Safurat find themselves stuck together in the Nigerian-Beninese border town of Seme, as they do not have the requisite travel documents. Their 48-hour delay turns into an unexpected journey, an exploration of a unique location, and a profoundly transformative experience in which they each learn to overcome their inner demons. It is an adventure that ends with the beginning of a romance.

A film by Idrissou Mora Kpai

Benin, Feature narrative,

Country: Benin
Running Time: 90 minutes

Director's Statement
Filmmaking to me has always been about interrogating imposed borders, whether material or symbolic. Few settings allow to better narrate such a story of symbolic and material borders than Seme, the main border town between Nigeria and Benin. Often, dubbed one of the most absurd borders in the world, this town is chaotic, bustling,
and mysterious. It is here, in Seme, that the film's two protagonists find themselves thrown together.
The main characters' time at the border is more than just waiting to cross into Benin. For both, crossing the physical border becomes a metaphor for transcending respective interior walls, born out of individual and collective pasts.
The depth of the subject addressed in the film does not take away from its potential for mass appeal.
Border, also possesses the ingredients for a popular film, able to attract as much an African audience, as a global one. The film addresses universal questions around love, the search for meaning and identity, as well as notions of success, forgiveness and maturity.
Border explores complex psychological dimensions through the conflicts, fears and hopes of its main characters, which many viewers can identify with. The captivating Afro-Pop soundtrack further extends the film's universal appeal.

Director: Idrissou Mora Kpai
Producer: Arouna Sacca Mora Kpai

Production Company: Noble Films (Benin)


2017 | 38th Durban International Film Festival - DIFF 2017, South Africa | 14-24 July 2017
* Selection - DURBAN FILMMART
Finances Committed: €40, 000 (Total Budget: €778, 865)
* www.durbanfilmmart.co.za/DFM-Projects
* www.durbanfilmmart.co.za/UserContent/documents/2017/DFM_Project%20E-Dossier_final.pdf