Set to the soundtrack of Papa Wemba's extraordinary music, this outrageous, funny and eye-opening film depicts the underground world of a flamboyant African cult. Papa Wemba is a well-known Congolese singer. He is also a big cheese in Le Sape, the Société des Ambianceurs et Persons Élégants, which translated into English means a society of people who spend huge amounts of money on designer clothes with the motive of making themselves as conspicuously elegant as possible. The film is a splendid evocation of Papa Wemba's music, but it is also an unusual insight into what it means to be an immigrant in contemporary Europe. The sapeur have borrowed from our own culture, creating something rich and strange and wholly Congolese. Don't miss the scene where they try on fur coats.
The Importance of Being Elegant
August 14, 2004
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Cosima Spender
Director
George Amponsah
Director
Laurent Bocahut
Executive Producer
Tom Roberts
Executive Producer
George Amponsah
Producer
Askia Traoré
Line Producer
Philippe Ciompi
Supervising Sound Editor
Éric Turpin
Cinematography
Valerio Bonelli
Editor