Souli (film)

Souli is a 2004 Malagasy drama film written and directed by Alexander Abela and based on William Shakespeare's Othello. It follows Abela's 1999 film Makibefo, an adaptation of Macbeth.^[1]

Souli
French promotional release poster
Directed by	Alexander Abela
Written by	Alexander Abela William Shakespeare (based on Othello)
Cinematography	Joseph Areddy
Edited by	Christel Dewynter Anthony Sloman
Music by	Deborah Mollison
Release date	6 November 2004 (2004-11-06) (Amiens International Film Festival)
Running time	94 minutes
Countries	France Madagascar United Kingdom
Languages	French, Malagasy

Plot

Carlos (based on Shakespeare's Cassio) is a young Spanish student searching for the renowned Senegalese poet Souli, who may be the last griot to possess the "Thiossan tale". Souli, based on Othello, is working as a fisherman and living with a young French woman Mona (based on Desdemona). Abela's version of the villainous Iago is French trader Yann, who, helped by his girlfriend Abi, plots to destroy the lives of Souli and Mona.^[1][2]

Cast

• Eduardo Noriega as Carlos
• Aurélien Recoing as Yann
• Makena Diop as Souli
• Fatou N'Diaye as Abi
• Jeanne Antebi as Mona

Distribution and reception

Souli played at festivals including the 2004 Montreal World Film Festival and the 2005 Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival.^[1][2] In 2005, it was nominated for the Grand Prix at the Paris Film Festival.^[3]