The Importance of Being Elegant (2004)
Set to the soundtrack of Papa Wemba's extraordinary music, this outrageous, funny and eye-opening film depicts the underground world of a flamboyant African cult. Papa Wemba is a well-known Congolese singer. He is also a big cheese in Le Sape, the Société des Ambianceurs et Persons Élégants, which translated into English means a society of people who spend huge amounts of money on designer clothes with the motive of making themselves as conspicuously elegant as possible. The film is a splendid evocation of Papa Wemba's music, but it is also an unusual insight into what it means to be an immigrant in contemporary Europe. The sapeur have borrowed from our own culture, creating something rich and strange and wholly Congolese. Don't miss the scene where they try on fur coats.
Directors: George Amponsah, Cosima Spender.
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Papa Wemba as Self |
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Anti-Gigolo as Self |
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Archibishop of La Sape as Self |
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Mere Malou as Self |
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Minister of the Budget as Self |
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Minister of the Attack as Self |
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Poison as Papa Wemba's bodyguard |
| Directing | George Amponsah | Director |
| Directing | Cosima Spender | Director |
| Production | George Amponsah | Producer |
| Production | Laurent Bocahut | Executive Producer |
| Production | Tom Roberts | Executive Producer |
| Production | Askia Traoré | Line Producer |
| Crew | Éric Turpin | Cinematography |
| Editing | Valerio Bonelli | Editor |
| Sound | Philippe Ciompi | Supervising Sound Editor |
