L'APPEL DES ARÈNES (WRESTLING GROUNDS)
Senegal/Marocco/ Burkina Faso 2006; Regie: Cheikh Ndiaye, Produktion: Sira Badral, Paris, 105 min., engl. OmU Buch: Cheikh Ndiaye, nach dem gleichnamigen Roman von Aminata Sow Fall. Darsteller: Abdoul Aziz Ndiaye, Moustapha Gueye, Mohamed Ndao, Ibrahima Mbaye, Seynabou Sarr, Doudou Kaïré, Khadidja Gueye, Pape Thiam, Ibrahima Diop, Fatou Michèle Wone, Ismaïla Cissé, Maguette Wade, Lamine Ndiaye.

Synopsis
Seventeen-year-old Nalla comes from a well-to-do family in Dakar, Senegal. One evening, a group of rowdies attacks him. The auto mechanic André happens to witness the incident and comes to Nalla’s aid. The two become friends. Some time later, Nalla accompanies André to wrestling practice, where he catches a glimpse of the mystical world of this sport. Against his parents’ will, Nalla takes on an important function in the opening match of the new season. Sory is twenty-five and suffers from epileptic attacks. He is unemployed and survives as a petty crook. In a desperate situation, he joins a group of criminals who earn money by selling black-market tickets in front of the wrestling arena and by betting. Sory thus encounters the Mafia-run side of wrestling.
http://siba.free.fr/#appel


Cheikh Ndiaye
Cheikh Ndiaye was born in Dakar, Senegal on September 13, 1962 and studied film editing and directing at the Conservatoire libre du cinéma français (CLCF) in Paris. L‘APPEL DES ARENES is his first full-length feature film.
Films:
1994: Toumouranké (Dokumentarfilm, 52 Min.). 1996: Mousso (Kurzspielfilm, 17 Min.). 1999: Dipri la puissance du séké (Dokumentarfilm, 44 Min.). 2002: Myaé (L‘être, Kurzdokumentarfilm, 26 Min.). 2005: L‘APPEL DES ARENES.