A
France–
Senegal–
Guinea-Bissau co-production,
Dao was written and directed by
Alain Gomis and developed from personal experiences, including the director's attendance at his father's funeral ceremony in Guinea-Bissau. Gomis has described the project as his most personal work, emphasizing collective energy and participation during production. Principal photography for
Dao began on 2 May 2024 in
Guinea-Bissau and concluded in June in the
Paris region. Filming took place from 2 to 12 May in Guinea-Bissau and from 15 to 23 June in the
Yvelines department in
France. The project received support from multiple institutions, including the
Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée (CNC) through its advance-on-receipts program, the Images de la Francophonie fund, Arte/Cofinova, and several Sofica funds. The film was pre-purchased by
Canal+,
Ciné+,
Canal+ International, and
TV5 Monde.
Dao is produced by Sylvie Pialat and Benoît Quainon for Les Films du Worso, and by Christophe Barral and Toufik Ayadi for SRAB Films, with co-production by Senegalese companies Yennenga Productions and Nafi Films, and Telecine Bissau Produções in Guinea-Bissau. == Release ==