DAO

At a film casting call, two women meet and become mother and daughter in front of the camera: Gloria and Nour. And the family grows before the audience’s eyes. Together with other actors and non-professionals, they celebrate a lavish wedding in Paris and travel to Guinea-Bissau to say goodbye to their family patriarch. Between these two rituals—between Europe and West Africa, life and death, past and present—true stories intertwine with fictional narratives. What follows is a grand celebration of life: a circular dance of love and pain, of joy and letting go.

“DAO” is more than just a film—it is a boundless family into whose embrace we fall and by whose strength people are carried.

“DAO” navigates the space between family memory, collective history, and cinematic fiction. The film connects two rituals—a wedding on the outskirts of Paris and a funeral ceremony in Guinea-Bissau—and tells the story of a generation that lives between different places and memories.

At its heart lies the question: What remains when families have been torn apart across continents? Which stories are told—and which remain unspoken for a long time?

“DAO” is a feature film by the French-Senegalese director Alain Gomis. It had its world premiere in February 2026 as part of the main competition at the 76th Berlinale. Alain Gomis’s first feature film, “L’Afrance” (2001), won the Silver Leopard at the Locarno Film Festival.

Press reviews:

• Runtime: 186 min.
• In the original languages—French, Manjak, Wolof, and Portuguese Creole—with German subtitles.
• Admission is free. Registration is requested.
• The organizers welcome donations to support the program on-site.