When you open your voicemail and hear: « Hello Simon, this is Aurore Clément ». What followed will remain forever in my heart… 🥹
(Shared with her kind permission)
#theboywithwhiteskin #shortfilm #foryourconsideration
Thank you so much @williammoseley for your kind words on our Oscar shortlisted live action THE BOY WITH WHITE SKIN.
« When I saw The Boy with White Skin, directed by @simonpanay , I felt like I was transported to the gold mines of West Africa. I could feel the cold, the claustrophobia and the danger the workers face in the mines. It’s a subject I knew nothing about and I was taken aback by how hard the conditions are. The film focuses on an albino boy who like the audience experiences the mine for the first time. This film is one of the best short films I have seen and I hope everyone can take the time to see how the world’s gold is resourced. »
More info on the film here:
Produced by @bandini_films , @rafaelandreasoatto@laetitiadenissoatto & @astou_prod@maud.leclair.neve@souley_mane_kebe
Coproduced by @hkcorp@davidgitlis & @rlinesprod@romuald_boulanger
Distributed by @manifest_pictures
with the support of @culture.grandest@le_cnc@courtmetrageftv
In The Boy with White Skin, Simon Panay discusses the rituals and beliefs of miners in the most productive gold mine in Senegal. In their culture, the albino skin attracts the gold, and the direction, who has documented their culture in documentary films before, decides to re-enact it in a fictional work. We interview the director about filming in Senegal, the casting process of the lead child and his history with the gold mine.
Head to our Spotify or website to hear the full interview!
What a wonderful time in Los Angeles to promote « The Boy with White Skin » with a wonderful screening organised at @theculvertheater by @londonflairpr .
FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION
Best Live Action Short Film
And lots of great meetings, thanks to our coproducers @hkcorp@davidgitlis & @rlinesprod@romuald_boulanger
If you ever go to Los Angeles, don’t miss the @academymuseum , it’s magical! 🤩
Now London!
TNC | OSCAR SHORTLIST INTERVIEW | 2026: Simon Panay @simonpanay writer/director THE BOY WITH WHITE SKIN.
Did you have any apprehensions about making a narrative film about albinism in West Africa?
The treatment of albinism on the African continent varies enormously from one country to another, and even from one region to another. It is extremely difficult to establish a generalised assessment. Albino people are most often seen as a bad omen, and in some places they are in mortal danger. There are hundreds of documented kidnappings. In certain countries, most albino newborns are killed at birth. In the world of artisanal gold mining, however, it is the opposite. They are seen as demigods and believed to bring wealth and prosperity. I did not want this film to present a continental overview, but rather to recount a ritual I personally witnessed within this very specific world of gold mining.
