Synopsis

Jean-René is a retired workman who has lived in Mâcon, France, since emigrating from Reunion Island at the age of 17. Today, for the first time ever, the quiet man recounts his story to his daughter. His journey is interspersed with enigmatic dreams and pains that are rooted in the wounds of the French colonial past.

Credits

Producer: Jonathan Rubin
Director: Érika Étangsalé
Screenplay: Érika Étangsalé
Cinematography: Jonathan Rubin, Fiona Braillon
Sound: Pierre George
Editing: Marianne Haroche
Sound Mixing: Yannick Delmaire
With the support of Région Réunion, the French National Centre for Cinema and the Moving Image (CNC), Tënk, and Le Fresnoy – National Studio of Contemporary Arts.

Awards

First Prize at FID Marseille, 2021
Marseille Espérance Prize at FID Marseille, 2021
Doc Alliance Award, 2022
Documentary Jury Prize at FEMI Guadeloupe, 2022
Best Feature Documentary Award at Nova Frontier Festival, 2022
Grand Jury Prize at Africlap, Toulouse, 2022
Best Documentary Award at Quibdó Africa Film Festival, Colombia, 2022
Best Film Award at the International African Film Festival, Argentina, 2022
TV5 Monde Award at the African Film Festival, Tarifa, 2022
Special Jury Mention at Premiers Plans Festival, 2022
Special Jury Mention from the Social Activities Committees of the Energy Sector (CMCAS and CCAS) at the Brive Film Festival, 2022
Special Jury Mention at the African Film Festival, Tarifa, 2022
Short and Medium-Length Jury Prize at StLouis’ Docs, 2024

Festivals

Selected for the César Awards, France 2023
FID Marseille, France 2021
États Généraux du Documentaire de Lussas, France 2021
Villa Medici, Italy 2021
IndieCork, Ireland 2021
Corsica.doc, Corsica 2021
Cine Migrante, Argentina 2021
IDFA, Netherlands 2021
DocLisboa, Portugal 2022
Jihlava, Czech Republic 2022
Visions du Réel, Switzerland 2022
Film Africa, United Kingdom 2022
International African Film Festival, Argentina 2022
FESTIC, Burkina Faso 2022
Sya Film Encounters, Burkina Faso 2022
Montreal International Black Film Festival, Canada 2022
Arica Nativa Rural Film Festival, Chile 2022
Quibdó Africa Film Festival, Colombia 2022
FCAT – African Film Festival, Spain 2022
Prismatic Ground, USA 2022
Nova Frontier Film Festival, USA 2022
Île de Groix Island Film Festival, France 2022
Premiers Plans Angers, France 2022
Brive Film Festival, France 2022
Africlap, France 2022
Silhouette, France 2022
Douarnenez, France 2022
WXOOL, France 2022
FIFIB (Festival International du Film Indépendant de Bordeaux), France 2022
FEMI, Guadeloupe 2022
Afrykamera, Poland 2022
DocPoint, Helsinki, Finland 2023
Djarfogo International Film Festival, Cape Verde 2023
Africa International Human Rights Festival, Lagos, Nigeria 2024
StLouis’Docs, Saint-Louis, Senegal 2024

TV/VOD Broadcasts

ARTE
France Télévisions
DA Films
UniversCiné
Tënk
Brefcinéma
Le Cinéma Club
Allindi
Inside TV