# Souleymane's Story

Souleymane's Story (French: L'Histoire de Souleymane), previously titled The Story of Souleymane, is a 2024 French film directed by Boris Lojkine from a script he wrote with Delphine Agut. The film stars Abou Sangaré as Souleymane, an immigrant from Guinea working for a food delivery service in Paris.
The film had its world premiere at the Un Certain Regard section of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Jury Prize and the Performance Prize. It received eight nominations at the 50th César Awards, including Best Film, and won four awards: Best Supporting Actress (for Nina Meurisse), Best Male Revelation (for Sangaré), Best Original Screenplay and Best Editing.

## Premise

Souleymane's Story follows Souleymane, a recent Guinean immigrant, through the streets of Paris as he prepares for his asylum application interview while working for a meal delivery service on his bicycle.

## Cast

* Abou Sangaré as Souleymane
* Nina Meurisse as the OFPRA agent
* Alpha Oumar Sow as Barry
* Emmanuel Yovanie as Emmanuel
* Younoussa Diallo as Khalil
* Ghislain Mahan as Ghislain
* Mamadou Barry as Mamadou
* Yaya Diallo as Yaya
* Keita Diallo as Kadiatou

## Production

While developing the film, Lojkine and casting director Aline Dalbis consulted with food delivery workers in Paris to learn about the challenges they faced and got to know members of the city's Guinean immigrant community. The film's star, Abou Sangaré, was identified during an open casting call conducted as part of this research. Sangaré had immigrated to France seven years prior to casting, while he was still a teenager.
Scenes in which Souleymane delivered food on his bicycle were filmed by a cameraman riding a bicycle alongside the actor.
To write the final interview scene, the filmmakers gathered input from Guinean asylum seekers and sat in on interviews conducted by Ofpra (the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons).

## Release

Souleymane's Story had its world premiere at the Un Certain Regard section of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Jury Prize and the Performance Prize, and the FIPRESCI Prize for the Un Certain Regard section.
Pyramide Distribution released the film in French cinemas on 9 October 2024.

## Reception
### Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 17 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.4/10. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 81 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".

### Accolades

| Award | Ceremony date | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
| Abitibi-Témiscamingue International Film Festival | 2024 | Médiafilm Robert-Claude Bérubé Prize | Souleymane's Story | Won |
| Cannes Film Festival | 25 May 2024 | Prix Un Certain Regard | Souleymane's Story | Nominated |
| Cannes Film Festival | 25 May 2024 | Un Certain Regard – Jury Prize | Souleymane's Story | Won |
| Cannes Film Festival | 25 May 2024 | Un Certain Regard – Best Performance | Abou Sangaré | Won |
| Cannes Film Festival | 25 May 2024 | FIPRESCI Prize | Souleymane's Story | Won |
| César Awards | 28 February 2025 | Best Film | Souleymane's Story | Nominated |
| César Awards | 28 February 2025 | Best Director | Boris Lojkine | Nominated |
| César Awards | 28 February 2025 | Best Supporting Actress | Nina Meurisse | Won |
| César Awards | 28 February 2025 | Best Male Revelation | Abou Sangaré | Won |
| César Awards | 28 February 2025 | Best Original Screenplay | Boris Lojkine and Delphine Agut | Won |
| César Awards | 28 February 2025 | Best Cinematography | Tristan Galand | Nominated |
| César Awards | 28 February 2025 | Best Editing | Xavier Sirven | Won |
| César Awards | 28 February 2025 | Best Sound | Marc-Olivier Brullé, Pierre Bariaud, Charlotte Butrak and Samuel Aïchoun | Nominated |
| European Film Awards | 7 December 2024 | European Actor | Abou Sangaré | Won |
| European Film Awards | 7 December 2024 | European Sound | Marc-Olivier Brullé, Pierre Bariaud, Charlotte Butrak, Samuel Aïchoun, Rodrigo Diaz | Won |
| Louis Delluc Prize | 4 December 2024 | Best Film | Souleymane's Story | Nominated |
| Lumière Awards | 20 January 2025 | Best Film | Souleymane's Story | Nominated |
| Lumière Awards | 20 January 2025 | Best Director | Boris Lojkine | Nominated |
| Lumière Awards | 20 January 2025 | Best Screenplay | Boris Lojkine and Delphine Agut | Nominated |
| Lumière Awards | 20 January 2025 | Best Actor | Abou Sangaré | Won |
| Lumière Awards | 20 January 2025 | Best Cinematography | Tristan Galand | Nominated |