by Alex Billington
February 8, 2024
Source: YouTube
"It's very special." "I love the scent." "So do I." Gaumont in France has revealed the first promo trailer for an indie relationship drama titled Black Tea, a brand new film made by acclaimed Mauritanian filmmaker Abderrahmane Sissako (of Life on Earth, Waiting for Happiness, Timbuktu). This film is premiering in the Main Competition at the upcoming 2024 Berlin Film Festival kicking off soon this month. Looks like one of the best in the line-up! Aya, a young Ivory Coast woman in her early thirties, says "no" on her wedding day, to everyone's astonishment. After emigrating to China, she finds work in a tea export shop with Cai, a 45-year-old Chinese man. Aya and Cai soon fall in love but can their affair survive the turmoil of their pasts and other people's prejudices? Eight years after the breathtaking Timbuktu (in competition at Cannes 2014 and an Academy Award nominee for Best International Film), Sissako returns with Black Tea – starring Nina Mélo, Chang Han, and Wu Ke-Xi. As a fan of good tea, this looks so lovely. Not only a story about love & tea, but about finding your place in the world, even if others don't seem to like it. I'll definitely be watching.
Here's the first promo trailer (+ poster) for Abderrahmane Sissako's Black Tea, direct from YouTube:
Full synopsis via Berlinale: "Aya is a woman in her early 30s. After astonishing everyone by saying 'No' on her wedding day, she leaves the Ivory Coast for a new life in China. Living in an area where the African diaspora meets the Chinese culture, she finds a job in a tea boutique owned by Cai, a 45-year-old Chinese man. In the privacy of the shop’s backroom, Cai initiates Aya into the Chinese tea ceremony. As he teaches her this ancient art, their relationship slowly grows into one of tender love… But for their burgeoning passion to be supported by trust, both of them must let go of their burdens & face up to their pasts." Black Tea, also known as The Perfumed Hill, is directed by Mauritanian filmmaker Abderrahmane Sissako, director of the films Life on Earth, Waiting for Happiness, Bamako (The Court), and Timbuktu previously. The screenplay is written by Sissako and Kessen Tall. It's produced by David Gauquié, Julien Derys, Denis Freyd, Kessen Fatoumata Tall, Jean-Luc Ormières, Charles S. Cohen. This is premiering at the 2024 Berlin Film Festival in the Main Competition section. No other release dates have been set - stay tuned. Intrigued?