Film in French at the Wadsworth Atheneum with discussion afterwards.

West Indies: The Fugitive Slaves of Liberty (1979)

Saturday, SEPTEMBER 7 at 2 PM

Join members of the Alliance Française de Hartford in the viewing of a recently restored film in French by Mauritanian French filmmaker Med Hondo at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art in the Aetna Theater. Meet at 1:50 in the Avery entrance.

The Alliance Française de Hartford will collaborate with the Wadsworth Atheneum as there will be a discussion of the film by Sharon Straka after the 2 PM showing.

Trailer: https://youtu.be/Q5JpfsM-g0c

NY Times Review:
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/22/movies/west-indies-restoration.html

Directed by Mauritanian French filmmaker Med Hondo, this groundbreaking work in
African cinema is the continent’s first musical intertwined with the structure of a
historical epic. The film utilizes a single, expansive set—a mock slave ship—to stage a
vivid and sweeping exploration of over three centuries of imperialist oppression
spanning the West Indies, Europe, and the Middle Passage. Through a series of
dynamic reenactments and spirited dance sequences, the narrative leaps across time, examining the impact of French colonial policy on the colonized and enslaved,
alongside their descendants. “West Indies” not only captures the diverse responses of individuals—ranging from resignation to rebellion—but also scrutinizes the motivations