La Robe du temps

La Robe du temps (The Gown of Time) is a 2008 film from Niger directed by Malam Saguirou, whose documentaries have won a number of international awards.[ 1]

In Zinder, the 2nd largest city in Niger, Ousseini is the young chief of the very traditional Brotherhood of Butchers. While trying to develop a channel for exporting beef from his region, he faces another challenge; he must legitimize his recently acquired role as a traditional chief while at the same time asserting his role as an innovator.[ 2] The director follows the young Ousseini in his efforts. His movie summarizes the problems faced by young entrepreneurs, and provides a lesson in practical economics.[ 3]

Saguirou attended the Berlinale Talent Campus in Berlin in 2006.[ 4] The film was selected that year as a Berlinale documentary project.[ 5] The film was a co-production between Dangarama of Niger and Adalios of France. As with most films made in Niger, the director was forced to be his own producer.[ 6] The Fonds francophone de production audiovisuelle du Sud, which assists filmmakers in the southern Francophone region, helped with production.[ 7]

The film was featured at the November 2008 Lumières d'Afrique festival in Besançon, France.[ 8] It was shown at the Festival de Cine Africano in Córdoba, Spain.[ 9] It was also featured at the 2009 "Lagunimages" Festival, which has been held in Cotonou, Benin every two years since 2000. The festival primarily showcases African audio visual works, and provides a forum for exchange of information between their makers and potential investors.[ 10] [ 11] The film was screened again at the 2009 Amiens International Film Festival and at the third Ciclo de Cine por la Paz festival at the Bellas Artes of Madrid.[ 12] [ 1]