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Taskovski Films acquires GARDERIE NOCTURNE Night Nursery, a title from the Berlinale Forum selection 2021. The documentary follows the lives of sex workers and their children in Africa, directed by Burkina Faso filmmaker Moumouni Sanou and co-produced by Les Films du Djabadjah (Burkina Faso), Vrai Vrai Films (France), Blinker Filmproduktion GmbH (Germany).

In the district town of Bobo-Dioulasso, near Burkina Faso’s capital Ouagadougou, sex workers entrust their children to Ms Coda, an elderly woman who has been taking care of countless such charges for decades while their mothers take to the streets at night to work. Over the years, filmmaker Moumouni Sanou has managed to gain the trust of everyone involved in this unique set-up, together with a huge amount of insight into the lives of Odile and Farida, both of whom rely on Ms. Coda’s services. Director tenderly observes all aspects of their situation, including domestic work, downtime, and the most intimate moments of motherhood, as well as their relationship to Ms. Coda and how she raises their children.

Born in 1987, Moumouni Sanou, after studying cinema, working in particular as an editor and cameraman in more than ten African productions. Passionate about documentaries, in 2010 he made his first film in Burkina-Faso, “Dji-Ko”. Between 2012 and 2013, he continued his journey with two other documentaries: “Youplex” and “Sini, the future”. “N’gooni Fo Sékouba or the spirit of the hunters” is his fourth adventure.

Director Sanou tenderly observes all aspects of their situation, including domestic work, downtime and the most intimate moments of motherhood, as well as their relationship to Ms Coda and how she raises their children. Female experience is at the heart of the film, and men and the fathers of these children remain absent, except in the stories Farida and Odile share of their sex work while at home in their leisure time, which range from amusing to deeply harrowing. Sanou’s careful, respectful gaze makes this film a true testimony to the virtues of horizontal filmmaking, with its heightened sense of attention and sensitivity to the protagonists felt throughout.