Germaine Acogny is the most prominent figure in contemporary African dance. Known as the “Mother of African Contemporary Dance,” she blends the dance traditions of West Africa with European influences, from which she developed her distinctive Acogny Technique. For more than 50 years, as a dancer, choreographer, and teacher, she has inspired not only her audiences but also generations of young artists worldwide. Together with her husband, Helmut Vogt, she founded the École des Sables in Senegal in the 1990s, the most influential center for contemporary dance on the African continent. In 2021, Germaine was honored with the Golden Lion at the Venice Dance Biennale for her life’s work.

Director Greta-Marie Becker grew up in Germany and Ecuador and studied theater, film, and media studies in Vienna, as well as directing at the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne. With *GERMAINE ACOGNY – THE ESSENCE OF DANCE*, her second feature-length documentary, she explores this exceptional artist on a personal, artistic, and political level. The film won the Young Vision Award at the Millennium Festival and the Prix du meilleur film from the French Cultural Critics’ Association.

A discussion with director Greta-Marie Becker will follow the screening.

More information about the film:
Genre: Documentary
Year of production: 2025
Running time: 89 min
Age rating: 0

A production by CALA Film Berlin, Producer: Martina Haubrich in co-production with Les Films d’Ici, Paris, Producer: Charlotte Uzu and Goree Island Cinema, Dakar, Producer: Yanis Gaye.

Development supported by the Film and Media Foundation NRW.
Production supported by BKM, the Film and Media Foundation NRW, the Mini-Traité grant from the FFA and CNC, the Kuratorium Junger Deutscher Film, and the DFFF.
A co-production with BR in collaboration with ARTE.

Realized with funding from the Institut Français Erfurt.