Meet Aurielle Jioya

Aurielle Jioya is an actress and director who holds a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Art from the Mel Hoppenheim school of cinema at Concordia Univesrity in Montreal.
She has been passionate about cinema from an early age. She has held the position of head programmer at the Vue d’Afrique African and Pan-African Film Festival in Canada, as well as that of programmer at the Toronto International Film Festival.
She founded Wrapped in Blue and then Jioya Production, where she produces and directs commercial and creative projects.

Director Statement

Her filmography explores notions of cultural diversity in an era of globalization, an aspect she has deepened thanks to her Beninese origins and extensive travels. Aurielle explores narrative through documentary, fiction and video art.

FILM IN COMPETITION FESTIVAL DU FILM MERVEILLEUX 2024 : NOCE D’EAU

Year:2024

Runtime:20′

Country: Benin

Synopsis: Kémi is a Frenchman of Beninese origin living in Paris. One day, while going through his grandfather’s belongings, he finds a photo of a house in Benin, on the banks of a lagoon. This house, which once belonged to his family, has now become a vacation home. Having just arrived in Cotonou, Kemi decides to book the house for a weekend with friends, in the hope of learning more about his family and its origins. His grandfather Sourou, an austere and reserved old man, had severed all ties with Benin when he moved to France. In the company of his friend Thomas, his wife Afiavi and the beautiful Mériga, who has never left him indifferent, Kemi meets a mysterious young woman whom he saves in extremis from drowning in the lagoon. Her name is Angèle, and she tells him she knows his grandfather Sourou…

Credits: Aurielle JioyaDirector. Valérie LiekoWriter. Aurielle JioyaWriter. Laurie Fesson TowanouProducer
Aurielle TchetchenigboProducer. Eric Idriss-KanagoProducer. Daniela MujicaProducer. Sèdo TossouKey Cast. Mawena TakpaKey Cast. Fargass AssandéKey Cast. Patricia Gabriella SetondjiKey Cast.