DAO

A film by Alain Gomis

Filmplakat „DAO“

The film begins with a definition of its title: “The Dao is the ceaseless, circular movement that flows through everything and connects the diversity of the world.”
At a film audition, two women meet and become mother and daughter in front of the camera: Gloria and Nour. And the family grows before our eyes. Together with other actors and non-professionals, they celebrate a lavish wedding in Paris and travel to Guinea-Bissau to say goodbye to their family patriarch. Between these two rituals—between Europe and West Africa, life and death, past and present—true stories intertwine with fictional narratives. What follows is a grand celebration of life: a circling dance of love and pain, of joy and letting go. “DAO” is more than just a film—it is a boundless family into whose embrace we fall and by whose strength we are carried.
“DAO” navigates the space between family memory, collective history, and cinematic fiction. The film interweaves two rituals—a wedding on the outskirts of Paris and a funeral ceremony in Guinea-Bissau—and tells the story of a generation living between different places and memories. At its heart lies the question: What remains when families have been torn apart across continents? Which stories are told—and which remain unspoken for a long time?
“DAO” is a feature film by the French-Senegalese director Alain Gomis. It had its world premiere on February 14, 2026, as part of the main competition at the 76th Berlinale. Alain Gomis’s first feature film, “L’Afrance” (2001), won the Silver Leopard at the Locarno Film Festival.
Press reviews:
“It won’t let us rest.” – Süddeutsche Zeitung
“One of the highlights of the last Berlinale competition.” – Frankfurter Rundschau
“A great film.” – Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung
“A celebration of cinema.” – Tip Berlin
“One of the finest works to emerge from the continent and its global communities in a long time: intense, thoughtful, and masterfully executed”—The African Courier
“A masterfully immersive panorama of African diaspora experiences” – Spiegel Online/Der Spiegel
Runtime: 186 min.
In the original languages—French, Manjak, Wolof, and Portuguese Creole—with German subtitles.

Free admission. Registration is requested.
We welcome donations to support our local program. Translated with DeepL

Price info: Eintritt frei

Booking: booking/prior registration recommended

Next date:

• Date Sunday, 20/September/2026 14:00 bis 17:00
• Venue Forschungscampus Dahlem
• Address Lansstraße 8, 14195 Berlin-Zehlendorf