Staff Only

‘You can’t get to the beach this way!’ yells the toothless old hotel security guard at 17-year-old Marta. Actually, all this tourist from Barcelona wants to do in Senegal is get off the beaten track, wishing her travelling companions - her younger brother and her embarrassing father – would just go to hell. She befriends Aissatou, a hotel chambermaid of her own age, and Khouma, a young filmmaker who offers his services as a videographer at hotel events. Marta leaves behind the holidaymakers burning themselves to a crisp by the pool or standing in line at the buffet, to explore the world beyond the ‘staff only’ sign with her new friends. But then Marta does something reckless – and this has serious consequences. (Berlinale)