Directed by Med Hondo • 1979 • Algeria, Mauritania, France
Starring Robert Liensol, Roland Bertin, Hélène Vincent
Mauritanian French director Med Hondo’s staggering WEST INDIES: THE FUGITIVE SLAVES OF LIBERTY is a sui generis amalgam of historical epic, Broadway revue, Brechtian theater, and joyous agitprop. Using an enormous mock slave ship as the film’s only soundstage, Hondo mounts intricately choreographed reenactments and dance numbers across his multipurpose set to investigate more than three centuries of imperialist oppression. The story traverses the West Indies, Europe, and the Middle Passage; jumps across time to depict the effects of official French policy upon the colonized, the enslaved, and their descendants; and surveys the actions and motivations of the resigned, the revolutionary, and the powers that be (along with their lackeys). No mere extravaganza, WEST INDIES is a call to arms for a spectacular yet critical cinematic reimagining of an entire people’s history of resistance and struggle.
Up Next in Caribbean Activist Cinema
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Haiti: The Way to Freedom
Directed by Arnold Antonin • 1973 • Haiti
Often identified as the first Haitian feature film, this landmark documentary chronicles the centuries-long quest of the Haitian people for self-determination. Rooted in a fierce national pride, the film journeys through the defining events of Haiti’s hi...
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The Terror and the Time
Directed by Rupert Roonaraine • 1978 • Guyana
The Terror is British colonialism and Cold War imperialism. The Time is 1953. THE TERROR AND THE TIME tells the story of the Guyanese people’s fight for independence and self-determination, investigating the historical background of neocolonial condi...
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Women of Suriname
Directed by At van Praag • 1978 • Suriname, Netherlands
Through the stories of four women—Jetty, Sonja, Somai, and Sylvie—this incisive documentary explores the impact of Dutch colonialism and neocolonialism on their lives in Suriname, as well as in the Netherlands, where they face further discr...
