Mambar Pierrette

Belgium/Cameroon/France, 2023. Director Rosine Mbakam. 93min.

As the rain tears down on rippled metal roofs, the Cameroonian city of Douala is in the throes of preparation for the start of the new school year. The protagonist – the stoic, hardworking Mambar Pierrette – is a dressmaker and as such becomes the local confidant, therapist and mother. Belgium-based director Rosine Mbakam uses her essayistic style to create a fictional tale of a woman facing a day of misfortune. In the francophone language Pierrette is a ‘couturier’, but not in the way the Western world understands the term: she is sat hunched over a machine, runs her hands across fabric and slices through cloth whilst the rains threaten her livelihood and her relationships. Mbakam offers a glimpse into the lives of businesswomen working in the heart of their local communities where negotiations of time, money and expertise are complex and unregulated. From watching Pierrette overcome every struggle, we begin to understand the real value of cloth. 

With Pierrette Aboheu Njeuthat and Marguerite Mbakop.

Past screenings

Grounded: Fashion’s Entanglements with Nature – London
Wednesday 21 May 2025, 20:30 | Genesis Cinema