The Little Girl Who Sold the Sun (1999)

La Petite Vendeuse de Soleil (or The Little Girl Who Sold the Sun) is a 1999 Senegalese short drama film, directed by Djibril Diop Mambéty which premiered posthumously after his death in 1998.

La Petite Vendeuse de Soleil is a film exalting the lives and promise found among ordinary Senegalese. It depicts a young beggar girl, Sili, who on crutches, confidently makes her way through a city of obstacles, becoming the first girl to sell a daily newspaper in the competitive world of young male newspaper vendors. Mambéty dedicated this last film to "the courage of street children". The scenes are expertly played by non-professional actors and with the participation of the street children.

It was screened as part of the International Forum of New Cinema section at the 49th Berlin International Film Festival in 1999.

La Petite Vendeuse de Soleil was originally intended as the second film of a trilogy under the title, Tales of Ordinary People. However, Mambety’s untimely death in 1998 prevented the completion of the third film.

Synopsis

In Dakar, selling newspapers on the street is an occupation always occupied by boys. But one morning, Sili, a young beggar, challenges that exclusive rule. Her age is uncertain, between 10 and 13, and she walks the streets with the help of her crutches. She begs for help in the same spot the boys sell their papers, but today they attack her and she falls, rolling over and over. That’s it; she too will sell newspapers starting tomorrow.

Actors