The African Doctor

Set in 1975, a Congolese doctor named Seyolo Zantoko escapes a repressive regime and moves with his wife Anne and their children to a quiet town in northern France. He takes a post under the mayor and hopes to build a new life for his family. What follows is a comedy of miscommunications and cultural clashes as the family navigates a school system that keeps them at arm's length and a medical establishment that underestimates them. The Zantoko clan must prove they belong in a town that sees them as outsiders while they discover a community that can surprise them with warmth, generosity, and unexpected friendship.

Directed by Julien Rambaldi with Kamini Zantoko and Benoît Graffin, The African Doctor was released in 2016. It draws on the real life of Dr Seyolo Zantoko and the Zantoko family's move to a small French town, blending family warmth with social awareness.

Box office figures are not provided in the available materials, so no worldwide gross or domestic earnings are listed. This information is not included in the current data, and the film's financial performance remains unclear from these sources.

Critics generally welcomed the film's warmth and humor, praising Marc Zinga's performance and its sensitive handling of prejudice, integration, and family bonds. The story threads together identity, resilience, and the everyday acts of building a place to call home. It balances light comedy with pointed social observations, inviting audiences to see how small acts of hospitality can change perceptions.

Despite being a niche European comedy, The African Doctor sparked conversation about immigration and cultural diversity in small communities. It found audiences beyond France and added to a trend of humor driven takes on integration. The film helped highlight how openness and humor can soften bias, contributing to a broader appreciation of multicultural stories in modern French cinema.