Caribbean
Demba is an African who has fled an oppressive regime in his own country and is seeking asylum in Paris. One night he encounters Lucien, a policeman from the Caribbean, who speaks to him in the voice of the dominant class. But in his country Demba is a professor of History and Geography while Lucien left school early to help his mother, a cleaning lady.
“YAFA Le Pardon” explores the social and economic dynamics at work in their relationship as they seek to understand each other, aided by Welcome, a Baule Komian who does not hesitate to officiate as the parties meet on the Quai de l’Oise, in the centre of Paris.
Directed by Christian Lara, France, 2019, 85 Minutes, drama, French with English subtitles
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ABOUT DIRECTOR CHRISTIAN LARA
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Trailer LUDI Art.mp4 from ArtMattan Productions on Vimeo.
"Ludi," directed by Edson Jean, is a compelling exploration of the Haitian immigrant experience set in the vibrant community of Little Haiti in Miami. The film follows the resilient protagonist, Ludi, portrayed by the talented Shein Mompremier, as she grapples with the challenges of forging a new life in America. In the pursuit of the elusive American dream, Ludi confronts the harsh realities of the immigrant experience.
Edson Jean's directorial finesse captures the nuances of cultural identity, economic struggle, and the indomitable spirit that propels individuals to persevere against adversity. The film not only sheds light on the immigrant narrative but also serves as a poignant reflection on the strength and resilience of those who dare to seek a better life in a new land. "Ludi" stands as a significant contribution to the cinematic exploration of diasporic experiences within the Afro-Caribbean context.
Directed by Edson Jean, USA, 2021, 81 Minutes, drama, English and Haitian Creole with English subtitles
"Jean's "Ludi" is the type of low-stakes drama that's easy to root for, and even more wonderful to see" - Robert Daniels, The Playlist
"This is one of the best films of the year so far, and that comes as a result of the hard work and dedication from everyone involved." - Kyle Bain, Film Threat
"An examination of the difficulties inherent in that so-called American Dream, with a magnetic lead performance from Shein Mompremier. Ludi is a charming, tragic, painful, and beautiful film to behold." -Aaron Peterson, Hollywood Outsider
SARA GOMEZ: AN AFRO-CUBAN FILMMAKER
DIRECTED BY ALESSANDRA MULLER
CUBA AND SWITZERLAND / 2005 / SPANISH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES / 76 MIN
SYNOPSIS
Sara Gomez, An Afro-Cuban Filmmaker is a rich, multilayered documentary about Afro-Cuban director Sarah Gomez. Born in 1943, she studied literature, piano, and Afro-Cuban ethnography before becoming the first female Cuban filmmaker. A woman of great intelligence, independence and generosity, she was a revolutionary filmmaker with intersecting concerns about the Afro-Cuban community and the value of its cultural traditions, women's issues, and the treatment of the marginalized sectors of society. Through archival footage of her works and interviews with her children and husband Germinal Hernandez, cast members of her best-know film De cierta manera,as well as colleagues and friends, we get closer to a filmmaker who invented new landscapes and brought together opposite worlds.
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DIRECTOR AND CAST
Director: Alessandra Muller
Starring: Sara Gómez
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GENRES
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MALUALA
DIRECTED BY SERGIO GIRAL
CUBA / 1979 / SPANISH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES / 95 MIN
SYNOPSIS
Maluala takes us into a palenque, a settlement of escaped slaves hidden somewhere in Cuba's eastern mountains, where discord is sown between black "kings" by clever subversives working for the Spanish government.
"Sergio Giral is the best known of the Black Cuban directors and his previous films were historical observations of the period of slavery in Cuba, the gradual rise of rebellion against colonial traditions, and the ultimate freedom that resulted. Maluala is the most striking addition to this genre. The action takes place during the last century in the region of Maluala. Gallo, the black chieftain, together with his cohort, Coba, present a petition for land and liberty to the colonial government. Governor Escudero offers liberty if the rebellious villages will be dismantled and their men offer themselves in surrender. He promises that they will be freed shortly thereafter. Three chieftains agree, but Gallo and Coba refuse... Giral has mounted Maluala with colorful ritual and acting. Samuel Claxton, as Gallo, is highly stylized in the heroic tradition. It is an absorbing adventure film wrought from historical events which appear violent, but Giral constantly implants into every image the necessity for unity among people in order to combat man's seemingly casual desire to subjugate mankind, in the struggle for power and undefined ambition."
~ /San Francisco Film Festival, 1980/
"The historically lucid intrigues of Maluala (1979), where the Afrocentric leadership of fugitive palenque communities is pitted against each other COINTELPRO-style by Spanish colonists, is one of those Cuban films that were forged in a righteous, red-hot ferment but still found the courage and wit to ask questions about the society around them." ~ Gary Dauphin, The Village Voice
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DIRECTOR AND CAST
Director: Sergio Giral
Starring: Samuel Claxton
Starring: Adolfo Llauradó
Starring: Raúl Pomares
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GENRES
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PLACIDO, THE BLOOD OF THE POET
DIRECTED BY SERGIO GIRAL
CUBA / 1986 / SPANISH WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES / 96 MIN
SYNOPSIS
Placido portraits the dramatic story of Gabriel de la Concepcio Valdes (Placido), a mulatto Cuban poet accused of leading a conspiracy against the Spanish colonial government. Preoccupied by the development of Afro-Hispanic artist and craftsmen of the mid XIX century, Placido was executed after living a short and controversial life as a man between two races and between a cruel reality and a dream of freedom.
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DIRECTOR AND CAST
Director: Sergio Giral
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GENRES
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CATCH A FIRE
DIRECTED BY MENELIK SHABAZZ
JAMAICA and U.K. / 1995 / ENGLISH / 30 MIN
SYNOPSIS
Catch a Fire tells the story of Deacon Paul Bogle, often described as a 19th century Malcom X. 30 years after the end of slavery in Jamaica, the Morant Bay Rebellion of 1865 provoked outrage in Victorian Britain shaping race and land attitudes. The story is constructed using extensive interviews with Paul Bogle's grand son as well as archive material.
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DIRECTOR AND CAST
Director: Menelik Shabazz
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GENRES
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LOOKING FOR LIFE (CHERCHER LA VIE)
DIRECTED BY CLAUDETTE COULANGES
HAITI AND GERMANY / 1999 / CREOLE WITH FRENCH AND ENGLISH SUBTITLES / 60 MIN
SYNOPSIS
Looking for Life introduces the viewer to two women, Anne-Rose and Rosemene, who each one has their own particular way of battling through life. The former makes lunches in a factory yard in Port-au-Prince and sells her meals to the factory workers; the latter is employed in the same factory as a production worker making pullovers and T-shirts. Every day she buys her midday meal on credit from Anne-Rose. Through the connection between these two women the film shows part of their daily work and the constant battle for survival that they lead together with other women in Haiti. Going beyond this, however the film demonstrates the extent to which the importation of North American goods has brought about the collapse of Haitian regional production and ruined Haiti's economy. The connection between the two topics of the film reveals the significant role that Haitian women of today play in an economy that has been bled dry.
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DIRECTOR AND CAST
Director: Claudette Coulanges
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GENRES
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