Soumsoum, the Night of the Stars
Directed by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
2026Feature101 minFrance, Chad
In Chad's Ennedi desert, a young woman haunted by visions stands by an outcast friend against her own village, in a fight for their freedom.
Synopsis
In the Ennedi desert of Chad, millennia old mountains rise from the sand. They carry the memory of a forgotten past and whisper ancient legends. Kellou, a young woman from a nearby village, is troubled by haunting visions that set her apart from those around her. Her world shifts the day she meets Aya, an outcast rejected by the community.
As the villagers turn against their growing sisterhood, Kellou must stand up for Aya and face the hostility of her own people, while fighting for their freedom.
The director
Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
Mahamat-Saleh Haroun is Chad's most celebrated filmmaker. Daratt won the Special Jury Prize at Venice in 2006, and A Screaming Man won the Jury Prize at Cannes in 2010. Soumsoum, the Night of the Stars won the FIPRESCI Prize in competition at the 2026 Berlinale.
Press
“Gentle magical-realist fable follows a spiritual connection in rural Chad”
“A Great African Director Makes a Triumphant Return”
“A gloriously directed film which urges us to read between the lines… a brilliantly restrained feature film.”
“Strikingly cinematic and visually rich work.”
On screens
- Oct 29 – Nov 8WIFF - Windsor International Film Festival · Windsor, ONTickets ↗
Already played at 3 cinemas in Toronto, Halifax, Sudbury, Windsor.
