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The Motorcycle Smuggler
70 min | Haoussa, foufouldé, french
Co-production Cameroon-France
In production
A documentary by Arice Siapi (Cameroon)
Synopsis
Bana Manga, known as Grand Bana, spent 10 years of his life smuggling motorcycles between Nigeria, Cameroon, and the Central African Republic before turning to traditional griot music, his passion. Although he enjoys a certain degree of local fame (his song Maroua has over 300,000 views on YouTube), his earnings as an artist are not enough to fully support his family. He decides to record an album that will allow him to expand his audience and thus ensure his financial stability. To finance this ambitious project, he agreed to undertake one last perilous journey between Nigeria, Cameroon, and the Central African Republic alongside his former traveling companions.
Team & Partners
Written & directed by Arice Siapi (Cameroon)
Production : Martinel Nemalieu (Timeline Production) Eléonore Boissinot et Claire Babany (Dryades Films)
In co-production with Timeline Production (Cameroon) and Naoko Films (Belgium)
Broadcasters: Canal+ International, Al Jazeera Documentary, Lyon Capital TV
With the support of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Region, the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region, the CNC, the World Cinema Fund, the OIF Development Fund and the Procirep – Société des Producteurs and Angoa.
Hot Docs Blue-Ice Fund Award at the Durban FilmMart
Project pitched at the Rencontres Africadocs 2021 (Côte d'Ivoire), the 2023 Durban FilmMart (South Africa), the Sørfund Pitching Forum in Oslo, the MiradasAfro incubator (Spain) and Sheffield Doc/Fest MeetMarket (2025).
(c) Dryades Films
(c) Dryades Films
(c) Dryades Films
(c) Dryades Films