Film Synopsis: Chez Jolie Coiffure

Sabine is a Cameroonian hairdresser who runs a small salon, Jolie Coiffure, in the Matonge district of Brussels. Despite having been in Belgium for almost a decade, she is still awaiting a decision on her asylum application. This intimate portrait captures Sabine’s daily life at the salon, perfecting her craft whilst whiling away time talking and laughing with an eclectic cast of customers and visitors, many of whom also harbour the same fears about deportation. Shot entirely within the confines of the salon, Mbakam’s engaged, attentive camera reveals the reality of life in this little known corner of the city.