Kouté Vwa

Melrick, a teenager living in France for 10 years, visits his grandmother in French Guiana for the summer. He rediscovers a country that lives within him and a close-knit community. Under the watchful eye of a perceptive camera that closely follows the protagonists, he candidly chats with his grandmother Nicole; learns percussion in a band; and spends time with Yannick, a man still mourning the murder of Lucas, his best friend and Melrick's uncle. In a blend of fact and fiction, this film plunges us into a scripted present interwoven with a truthful past, made tangible by archival footage. The filmmaker subtly constructs a narrative of mourning and personal forgiveness. This story gives way to a reflection on the latent violence of this land marked by colonialism and slavery, in order to help break the cycle. (HSB)

Co-presented by the Montreal International Black Film Festival and with the support of the Consulat général de France à Québec

competition : New Visions Competition

Kouté vwa