Pelikaanstraat 20

2017-02-28

In Mali, the expression “aller en aventure” (setting off on an adventure) is widely known: young men are encouraged to spread their wings and leave the country to become a "real" man. Belgian actress Aminata Demba travels to Mali in the footsteps of her deceased father, to discover what drove him to undertake his journeys, before arriving in the Antwerp diamond district in the early 1970s. She discovers Mali, its culture of nomads and the importance of hospitality. Moreover, she meets modern-day migrants and expats in their twenties, expressing dreams and ambitions that are surprisingly recognisable. Her quest leads to harsh confrontations, to enlightening encounters with new migrants and especially to a more personal look at migration today.

She discovers Mali, its culture of nomads and the importance of hospitality. Moreover, she meets modern-day migrants and expats in their twenties, expressing dreams and ambitions that are surprisingly recognisable. Her quest leads to harsh confrontations, to enlightening encounters with new migrants and especially to a more personal look at migration today.

A documentary by Leslie Verbeeck, Aminata Demba and Marijn Duijvestein with the support of the Fonds Pascal Decroos and "Vranckx en de Nomaden".

Team members

Aminata Demba

Aminata Demba (°1987, Antwerpen) obtained a Master's degree in Cultural Management at the University of Antwerp.

Leslie Verbeeck

Leslie Verbeeck (°1985, Mechelen) is a professional film maker. He studied film at Narafi in Brussels and obtained his bachelor's degree. After his studies he started working for production companies like Caviar and The Fridge. He worked for Belgian feature films (Small Gods, Linkeroever, Dirty Mind), short films (Tunnelrat, Samaritan, Prediker) and TV. Since 2011 he works freelance as producer and director for diverse audiovisual projects.

Marijn Duijvestein

Marijn Duijvestein (°1980, Maastricht) studied business communication in Antwerp. Since 2007, he worked on diverse film and communication projects. With KEA he collaborated on the production Stories on Human Rights (with well-known directors such as Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Marina Abramović, Idrissa Ouedraogo, Abderrahmane Sissako). He wrote several successful grant applications for co-productions. He was responsible for the financial planning of the documentary Pelikaanstraat 20.

Supported

A grant of € 5.000 euro awarded 22/06/2015.

FPD/2015/1241

Grant

Pascal Decroos Fund

"Van de Pelikaanstraat terug naar Mail" - Gazet van Antwerpen, 1 March 2017

"Dit verhaal sterft uit als ik het niet vertel", 2 March 2017 - Gazet van Antwerpen.

TELEVISION

Pelikaanstraat 20 - Canvas (Vranckx en de Nomaden), 5 March 2017

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