Black Tea: trailer for the new film from the director of Timbuktu

Abderrahmane Sissako films Aya, who after saying “no” in front of the altar, takes refuge in China, where she is initiated into tea rituals.

Black Tea (previously titled The Perfumed Hill) tells the story of Aya, who leaves Ivory Coast after abandoning the altar of her marriage. She leaves the territory to start a new life in Guangzhou, China. In this neighborhood where the African diaspora meets Chinese culture, she gets hired in a tea shop owned by Cai, a 45-year-old Chinese man. Deep in the back room, infuses a spirit of initiation where trust rhymes with rapprochement. The tea ceremony is a sacred ritual in Chinese culture. The two protagonists’ relationship slowly transforms into something more serious…

The director of Timbuktu (2014), Abderrahmane Sissakofeatures Nina Melo, Chang Han And Wu Ke-Xi in this lushly sweet drama.

Abderrahmane Sissakowho wrote the screenplay, told Variety that he wanted to tell this story after discovering a restaurant called La Colline Parfumée (The Perfumed Hill) which was run by an Afro-Chinese couple. He said the city of Guangzhou, known as Chocolate City“encourages human encounters through its countless shops of all kinds“.

Black Tea will have its world premiere in competition at the 74th Berlinale which will take place from February 15 to 25 – after the event, the film will be available in theaters on February 28, 2024.

Abderrahmane Sissako: “Timbuktu shares a common space with the western”