10 Best Movies from Ivory Coast to Watch First

10 Essential Films from Ivory Coast

Ranked native cinema in Ivory Coast’s own creative voice.

1. 

   1. Faces of Women

   Visages de femmes · 1985

   Framed by singing, dancing women, two stories explore female desire and independence in the Ivory Coast — a village wife who repays her jealous husband in kind, and a market woman fighting to build her own business. A vibrant, groundbreaking African film.

2. 

   2. Night of the Kings

   La Nuit des rois · 2020

   A young newcomer thrown into a lawless Ivorian prison ruled by its inmates is named the Roman and, by ancient custom, must spin a story that lasts the whole night of the red moon — or die. A dazzling, mythic drama about storytelling as survival.

3. 

   3. Ablakon

   1984

   In a bustling African city, a gang of resourceful street children fends for itself, dodging the police and living by its wits with irrepressible energy. A vivid Ivorian social drama.

4. 

   4. Run

   2014

   A man who has just assassinated his country's prime minister flees through the city, and his turbulent life flashes back in fragments — a boyhood dream, a stint as a religious disciple, a career as a hired thug. Philippe Lacôte's bold, kaleidoscopic drama.

5. 

   5. Bouka

   1988

   A gifted village boy raised close to nature in a loving family sees his happiness shattered by sudden misfortune. An Ivorian drama of childhood and loss.

6. 

   6. Jusqu'au bout

   2019

   A chance encounter with a police commissioner plunges a man back into a painful past he thought buried, and, driven by love and a thirst for justice, he sets out to expose the truth. An Ivorian drama.

7. 

   7. Roues libres

   2002

   At dusk in an African capital, two disabled men rob and kidnap a taxi driver and embark on a wild, chaotic night of theft, violence, and impossible dreams. A raw, provocative Ivorian drama.

8. 

   8. Dancing in the Dust

   Bal Poussière · 1989

   A pompous, self-styled village demigod who already has five wives sets his sights on taking a beautiful, city-educated sixth — a decision that upends his household and his authority. A satirical Ivorian comedy about polygamy and pride.

9. 

   9. Petanqui

   Pétanqui · 1983

   During a drought, the corrupt official in charge of distributing food to the starving lives in comfort with his mistresses and official car — until his idealistic son returns from France with a law degree and a conscience. An Ivorian social drama.

10. 

    10. A coffee color

    Une couleur café · 1997

    An Ivorian immigrant in France cooks up a scheme to pass off his second wife as his daughter to secure a residence permit, a deception that soon spins into farce. Henri Duparc's satirical comedy about migration and hypocrisy.