Martinique-born Palcy, in her first feature, portrays some of the realities of colonialism. Although set in the 1930s the position of the dispossessed is little changed despite the evolution of the political situation as the economy remains in the hands of Martinique-born whites. The story, based on the novel by a black writer from the island, centers on a young boy from a cane-cutter’s village and his grandmother who works hard to provide him with an education as the means of breaking out of the cycle of poverty. The third main character is an old man who tells the boy the history of his people. Awards: Venice Film Festival (1983) Best Actress for Darling Legitmus ; French Academy of Cinema (Cesar) 1983: Best First Film for director Euzhan Palcy.
Credits: Producer, Michel Loulergue, Alex Regis ; director, writer, Euzhan Palcy ; photography, Dominique Chapuis ; music, Malavoi.
Cast: Garry Cadenat, Darling Legitmus, Douta Seck.
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How to watch
Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
X000241
Languages
Creoles and Pidgins, French-based (Other)
English
French
Subject category
Foreign language films
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Colour
Holdings
16mm film; Limited Access Print (Section 2)