Waalo Fendo - Where the Earth Freezes

Milan, like Paris or Stuttgart, and like many other European cities, is the theater of the drama of immigration. Demba reconstructs his story and that of his brother Yaro, both Senegalese immigrants in Italy, in a long and fragmentary flashback that begins with Yaro’s murder and recounts their departure from the village, arrival in Europe, the work they find selling lighters and picking tomatoes in the south of Italy: the stages every “non-EEC citizen” goes through in Italy.

Directed by Mohammed Soudani, Waalo Fendo - Where the Earth Freezes leans on a strong ensemble — Saidou Moussa Ba, Baara N'Gom, Souleymane Seye Ndiaye — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1998.