'Black Tea', interview with director Abderrahmane Sissako

Abderrahmane Sissako about 'Black Tea" and the African conntinent in a new world

'Black Tea', interview with director Abderrahmane Sissako Niklas Pollmann

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Niklas meets Monsieur Abderrahmane Sissako to talk about his new film ‘Black Tea‘ but also about political visions of a new multipolar world, the role of Europe and the awakening giants Africa and China in that.

He criticises Europe’s short-sighted and arrogant perspective on the African continent. Furthermore he gives insights into his international crew’s work, discusses working with his actors, who had to speak Mandarin for his work, as well as working with French cinematographer Aymerick Pilarski, who speaks fluent Mandarin.

Plot

Aya is a woman in her early thirties. After astonishing everyone by saying “No” on her wedding day, she leaves the Ivory Coast for a new life in China. Living in an area where the African diaspora meets the Chinese culture, she finds a job in a tea boutique owned by Cai, a 45-year-old Chinese man. In the privacy of the shop’s backroom, Cai initiates Aya into the Chinese tea ceremony. As he teaches her this ancient art, their relationship slowly grows into one of tender love. But for their burgeoning passion to be supported by trust, both of them must let go of their burdens and face up to their pasts. (Source: Berlinale.de)