Filmed in Ouakam and Colobane: Discover Zero, the 100% Dakar-made action film

At the Pathé Cinema, the screening of the action film Zero brought together filmmakers and film enthusiasts. A film produced and directed by Jean-Luc Herbulot.

“ I played the role of a son who remains loyal to his father, despite everything that happens .” This is how Senegalese actor Roger Salah explained his role in the action film Zero , during its screening at the Pathé cinema on Wednesday, August 12. The film, directed by Franco-Congolese writer, director, and producer Jean-Luc Herbulot, was shot entirely in Dakar, between Ouakam, Colobane, and the surrounding areas. Herbulot develops a direct and politically charged Afro-European genre film, drawing on his Congolese roots and a desire to reclaim control of narratives.

In its original English version with French subtitles, this feature film tells the story of two Americans who arrive in Dakar with bombs strapped to their chests. They are sent on a mission against their will by a voice called "Missile," which they can only hear through an earpiece: one to rescue his lover in exchange for money, and the other to recover his stolen funds. These two American actors, the film's main characters and nicknamed "Number 1" and "Number 2," commissioned the film.

The film's producer and director, Jean-Luc Herbulot, was absent from the screening for professional reasons, leaving one question unanswered: what message did he want to convey and why specifically in Senegal?

Senegalese actor Roger Salah, much appreciated for the bloodthirsty roles he typically plays, believes that the most important thing is the message to be conveyed, how, and by whom. " I couldn't tell you the message. The director will be better able to provide more details ," he confides. The actor, who plays Agbo in the series Pod et Marichou, adds: " As an actor, my role was to faithfully portray a character on screen, through a project that resonated with me. " This raises another question: the actors' freedom to understand the message that the film in which they participate aims to convey.

Other Senegalese actors also participated in the filming, including Ndiambé Sène, well known for his role as Ass Diagne in the hit television series Xalisso , and Maguèye Cissé, who lands his first role in a feature film here.

Filmed during the Covid-19 pandemic, the film raises questions in many of its passages about its ultimate goal: between bomb attacks and a teacher named Daniel in a Koranic school — much appreciated by the students, but in reality driven by bad faith before being killed by the two Americans — the protagonists wander around the city with their bombs, only to be considered terrorists.