À l’intention de mademoiselle Issoufou à Bilma
Caroline De Bendern
Presented only in theatres.
This film is part of the program Carte Blanche au Centre Pompidou.
To miss Issoufou a Bilma was made during a trip, still financed by Sylvina Boissonas, which was to take the group from Tangier to Zanzibar. While they were immobilized for six months in Morocco due to logistical issues, the initial project gradually disintegrated: Daniel Pommereulle shot his film Vite! and Serge Bard converted to Islam and disappeared from the scene. Caroline de Bendern continued the journey alone with musician Barney Willen: they went to Algeria, where Willen met and recorded Archie Shepp, then headed down to sub-Saharan Africa, where they stayed with the Bororo Peuls. The film was completed two years later on the occasion of a second trip. Caroline de Bendern shot on 16mm film, and Barney Willen produced the soundtrack, inspired by his legendary album Moshi. The film is both an experimental road movie and an ethnological document. In particular, we discover the Geerewol festival among the Bororo Peuls, during which, for six days and nights, young men, drugged with bendore (a decoction of black banohe bark, crushed gypsum and milk), adorned with necklaces of pearls and cowries, amulets and feathers, compete in a beauty contest and dance to intoxication. Finally, the film is also a wistful account of the collapse of the Zanzibar group.
Artwork Label:
BENDERN, Caroline de
1940, United Kingdom
À l’intention de Mademoiselle Issoufou à Bilma, 1971
Digitized 16mm film, color, sound, 41min 10s
16mm film, color and B&W, sound
Acquired in 2021
Centre Pompidou, Paris
Musée National d’Art Moderne / Centre de Création Industrielle
Additional Information:
Cinema, Film
Duration: 41 min 10 s
Copyright: All rights reserved
Inventory number: AM 2021-F26
Insurance value: 0 EUR (19÷12÷2024)
This film is part of the program Carte Blanche au Centre Pompidou.
To miss Issoufou a Bilma was made during a trip, still financed by Sylvina Boissonas, which was to take the group from Tangier to Zanzibar. While they were immobilized for six months in Morocco due to logistical issues, the initial project gradually disintegrated: Daniel Pommereulle shot his film Vite! and Serge Bard converted to Islam and disappeared from the scene. Caroline de Bendern continued the journey alone with musician Barney Willen: they went to Algeria, where Willen met and recorded Archie Shepp, then headed down to sub-Saharan Africa, where they stayed with the Bororo Peuls. The film was completed two years later on the occasion of a second trip. Caroline de Bendern shot on 16mm film, and Barney Willen produced the soundtrack, inspired by his legendary album Moshi. The film is both an experimental road movie and an ethnological document. In particular, we discover the Geerewol festival among the Bororo Peuls, during which, for six days and nights, young men, drugged with bendore (a decoction of black banohe bark, crushed gypsum and milk), adorned with necklaces of pearls and cowries, amulets and feathers, compete in a beauty contest and dance to intoxication. Finally, the film is also a wistful account of the collapse of the Zanzibar group.
Artwork Label:
BENDERN, Caroline de
1940, United Kingdom
À l’intention de Mademoiselle Issoufou à Bilma, 1971
Digitized 16mm film, color, sound, 41min 10s
16mm film, color and B&W, sound
Acquired in 2021
Centre Pompidou, Paris
Musée National d’Art Moderne / Centre de Création Industrielle
Additional Information:
Cinema, Film
Duration: 41 min 10 s
Copyright: All rights reserved
Inventory number: AM 2021-F26
Insurance value: 0 EUR (19÷12÷2024)
| Director | Caroline De Bendern |
| Script | Caroline De Bendern |
| Production | Caroline De Bendern |
| Editing | Dominique Tzank, Caroline De Bendern |
| Music | Barney Wilen, Jacques Pelzer |
| Other | Oussmane Beurrier, Sylvie Beurrier, Al Hadji |
Session
• Université Concordia - J.A. de Sève, LB-125, Pavillon J. W. McConnell
Saturday, march 15, 2025, 03:00 p.m. — 04:33 p.m.
Production
Caroline De Bendern
Available in French only
Caroline de Bendern (née en 1945), après avoir été mannequin à New York et fréquenté la Factory d’Andy Warhol, arrive à Paris en 1968 avant les événements de mai auxquels elle prendra une part active. La photographie largement publiée la montrant juchée sur les épaules de Jean-Jacques Lebel et tenant le drapeau du Vietnam lui vaudra de rester dans les annales comme la Marianne de 1968. Elle rencontre Olivier Mosset (chez qui elle habite un temps), Daniel Buren, Michel Parmentier et Niele Toroni ainsi que Daniel Pommereulle, Alain Jouffroy, Serge Bard, Jackie Raynal et Philippe Garrel, soit les membres du groupe Zanzibar dont Sylvina Boissonas finançait les films. Sa rencontre avec le musicien et compositeur Barney Wilen a marqué sa trajectoire, notamment à travers des projets cinématographiques où la musique et l’image se rencontrent. Leur collaboration a nourri une approche expérimentale et poétique du cinéma, alliant avant-garde et exploration des sens.
Biographical notes provided by the Carte Blanche’s curator
Caroline de Bendern (née en 1945), après avoir été mannequin à New York et fréquenté la Factory d’Andy Warhol, arrive à Paris en 1968 avant les événements de mai auxquels elle prendra une part active. La photographie largement publiée la montrant juchée sur les épaules de Jean-Jacques Lebel et tenant le drapeau du Vietnam lui vaudra de rester dans les annales comme la Marianne de 1968. Elle rencontre Olivier Mosset (chez qui elle habite un temps), Daniel Buren, Michel Parmentier et Niele Toroni ainsi que Daniel Pommereulle, Alain Jouffroy, Serge Bard, Jackie Raynal et Philippe Garrel, soit les membres du groupe Zanzibar dont Sylvina Boissonas finançait les films. Sa rencontre avec le musicien et compositeur Barney Wilen a marqué sa trajectoire, notamment à travers des projets cinématographiques où la musique et l’image se rencontrent. Leur collaboration a nourri une approche expérimentale et poétique du cinéma, alliant avant-garde et exploration des sens.
Biographical notes provided by the Carte Blanche’s curator
In the same session
Université Concordia - J.A. de Sève, LB-125, Pavillon J. W. McConnell
Saturday, march 15, 2025, 03:00 p.m.
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