Impact Days Catalogue
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By Raul de la Fuente, Amaia Remirez, Amaia Remirez Garcia and Raúl de la Fuente

Bayo Bayo Baby

IMPACT DAYS

Aminata (13) migrates to Freetown, seeking love and adventure. Instead, she’s exploited by a pimp, forming a family with girls like her. At 17, Aminata escapes the city and goes back to her grandmother. But she feels remorse for leaving her friends living the bad life behind and wants to do something about it. Back in the city, Aminata patrols the mean streets approaching her friends in the dark alleys but feels like there’s no escape from under the neon lights. They need a safe place to recover. There is a Surf School at Bureh Beach, run by her friend Kadiatu. Surfing in the ocean, they can feel free. Own their bodies again. Aminata rushes into the waves. The ocean welcomes the street kids. The healing begins.

Sections : Paroles d'activistes, Impact Days, Impact Days
Country : Sierra Leone
Original language : English
Directors
Raul de la Fuente
Amaia Remirez
Amaia Remirez Garcia (Spain)
Raúl de la Fuente (Spain)
Producers
Amaia Remirez
Dominique Barneaud
Amaia Remirez Garcia (Spain)
Dominique Barneaud (France)
Kanaki Films
Bellota Films
Completion
2024
Impact Statement
Around 2,500 minors live day and night on the streets of Freetown. 47% of girls around the age of 18 have a child or are pregnant because of rape, prostitution, or misinformation. Thanks to Bayo Bayo Baby, young girls escape this life of abuse, take control over their bodies to heal and dream atop of a surfboard. In a country where infant mortality is 40%, the highest in the world, the surf school is the first step of our campaign to protect local childhood in coordination with Don Bosco Fambul, the local NGOs successfully helping children in distress. Last year, they helped 2,500 children with shelter, legal aid, therapy, family reunification and health support.
With Bayo Bayo Baby's emotional and uplifting story, we want to empower young girls and women in Sierra Leone and beyond through education, entrepreneurship, and the healing power of surfing.
Impact Goals
  1. Create and spread awareness about street kids and their possible new opportunities (surf, beach centre, healing process).
  2. Humanise a harsh reality through storytelling, cinema aesthetic and strong characterisation.
  3. Create a surf school hosting street kids, as well as a surfwear brand run for and by the kids.
  4. Generate word of mouth between the kids in Freetown streets, 'if you’re in trouble, go to Don Bosco'.
  5. Generate a political agenda to change and adapt local support (psychological and legal) for street kids.
Impact Strategy
  • Global distribution and high film exposure (A-class festivals, cinema and television distribution).
  • Create specific content about the surfing, surf school, training of young people.
  • Share and offer the film to local and neighbouring countries for grassroots screenings.
  • Partner with key partners: foundations, institutions, surf brands, hotel chains.
  • Share a percentage of the film’s profit to go to the community.
  • Generate a source of income and work training in the long term for kids.
  • Generate African and girls’ empowerment through the project (surf, hotel, self-esteem, contribution to the soundtrack and media content).
  • Mobilize local political forces, including the first lady of Sierra Leone, who is already an advocate of girls’ causes.
Contact
Primary contact
Amaia Remirez Garcia (Spain): amaia@kanakifilms.com
Participants present at the Impact Days
Amaia Remirez Garcia (Spain)
Dominique Barneaud (France)

Organisations
Don Bosco Fambull

Regional film fund
Gobierno of Navarra
Gobierno del Pais Basco

National film fund
Spanish Ministry of Culture

Media Creative Europe
Région Île de France
Docs Up
Think Film

Organisations
Don Bosco Fambull

Regional film fund
Gobierno of Navarra
Gobierno del Pais Basco

National film fund
Spanish Ministry of Culture

Media Creative Europe
Région Île de France
Docs Up
Think Film