SILENT LEGACY

Press & Industry Screening: tba
World Premiere: tba
Screenings: tba

88 min. / Finland, France, Burkina Faso, 2025 / documentary

Directors Jenni Kivistö and Jussi Rastas and main protagonist Sibiry Konate are available for interviews.

SILENT LEGACY by writers-directors Jenni Kivistö and Jussi Rastas is world premiering at the Locarno Film Festival 2025 in the Semaine de la Critique. The documentary by the renowned filmmakers tells the fascinating story of Sibiry, a contemporary dance choreographer of African descent, who wants to bring balance to an unbalanced world. In search of connection and meaning between and torn between his old and new home country, he decides to give a valuable gift to his village in Africa.

Against the backdrop of the European migration crisis, SILENT LEGACY offers a deep insight into the complex situation of migrants and shows how Europe’s colonial past still shapes their identities. Utilizing both observational style and contemporary dance, the documentary explores identity, migration, and colonial legacies, and ultimately how the presence of the European filmmakers unintentionally influences reality.

SYNOPSIS
Sibiry Konate, a contemporary dance choreographer from Burkina Faso now living in Finland, experiences detachment from Western life. After having lived in Europe for more than 10 years, Sibiry desires to reconnect with his home village in West Africa. However, returning presents a significant challenge. In Burkina Faso Sibiry is seen as a privileged European, a blessed person, who could solve many financial problems. In reality, being a choreographer doesn’t pay well, and Sibiry has to work in a mail delivery center to make a living. As financial requests from Burkina Faso continue to build up, Sibiry feels he has become a synonym for money whilst he himself has a profound need toregain a sense of belonging. Struggling with the pressures, Sibiry decides to give a remarkable gift to his home village.

Directors Jenni Kivistö and Jussi Rastas have collaborated for many years, focusing on creative documentaries on socially significant thematics. Their previous co-directed feature documentary, COLOMBIA IN MY ARMS (2020), received 16 awards, including the Dragon Award for Best Nordic Documentary at the Göteborg Film Festival, and has been screened at major film festivals as São Paulo and Havana. Previously Kivistö has directed documentaries that premiered at DOK Leipzig and Clermont-Ferrand. Rastas, with a background in cinematography, now runs the newly established production company Väki Films. SILENT LEGACY is produced by Väki Films (Finland) in coproduction with Ellis Films (France) and Pilumpiku Production (Burkina Faso).

With support from Finnish Film Foundation, AVEK, CNC, Procirep – Angoa, Aalto University / Department of Film ELO and Church Media Foundation.

The local release in Finland is scheduled for Spring 2026.

Production Company:
Väki Films
contact@vakifilms.com

©/CREDITS:

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