Mali / 2007 / 14mins / Documentary, Sci-fi / French

Kempinski is a mystical and animist place. People emerge from the dark, holding fluorescent lamps; they speak about a magical world. “Today we have a space station. We will launch space ships and a few satellites soon that will allow us to have much more information about the other stations and other stars.” Their testimonies spark confusion and contradiction: a second reading is necessary to fully understand what is going on in this unique blend of fiction (sci-fi) and ‘real’ documentary. The scenario of Kempinski, filmed in various towns in Mali, is defined by specific rules: interviewed people imagine the future and speak about it in the present tense. Their hopeful, poetic and spiritual stories and fantasies are recorded and edited in a melodic way; Kempinski thus cleverly challenges our exotic expectations and stereotypes about Africa.

Neïl Beloufa

Algerian and French, Neïl Beloufa was born in 1985 in Paris, France. He studied at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts (ENSBA) and the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs (ENSAD) in Paris, and was a member of the 2010 promotion of Le Fresnoy - National Studio for Contemporary Arts. He received several awards, notably the Prix Vidéoforme of Clermont-Ferrand 2009, the Grand Prix Indie Lisboa 2009 and the ARTE prize for a European Short Film at the 54th Oberhausen Film Festival. His work was shown in solo exhibitions in Frankfurt, Los Angeles, Paris and New York, and selected for several group exhibitions and projects since 2007 (12th Biennial of Moving Images in Geneva, Prague International Triennial, Momenta Art Brooklyn, the Netherlands Media Art Institute in Amsterdam, Espace Croisé in Roubaix, Beaux-Arts of Marseille). His films have screened in international festivals for video and documentary. He was awarded the Meurice Prize for Contemporary Art 2013, Audi Talent Awards 2011 and the Agnès B. Studio Collector Award 2010. His work has been the subject of monographic exhibitions in France and abroad, notably at K11, Shanghai, 2016; Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2016; Schinkel Pavilion, Berlin, 2015; Institute of Contemporary Arts, London, 2014; Hammer Museum, Los Angeles, 2013; Palais de Tokyo, Paris, 2012 and 2018 as well as the Schirn Kunsthalle, Frankfurt, 2018. Learn More