Moving from the frozen landscapes of the Jura mountains to the urban centres of Port-au-Prince, Ouvertures brings the Haitian revolutionary Toussaint Louverture back to life. In France a Haitian researcher tries to read the past within the stratigraphic layers of Jurassic limestone, whilst in Haiti a group of young actors translate and rehearse scenes from Monsieur Toussaint, a play written by Édouard Glissant, that recounts the last days in the life of Louverture dying in exile in a prison cell in the Jura, 1803. Ghosts from the pantheon of Haitian history visit Louverture on his deathbed and put him to trial. As the play proceeds the actors become possessed by their characters, and eventually the ghost of Louverture joins the group and takes them on a voyage for a new kind of exile.

(2020, 132 min, France, United Kingdom, Haïti)
A film by The Living and The Dead Ensemble; Produced by Spectre Productions

Olivier Marboeuf:

is an author-storyteller, artist, independent curator, cultural theorist and film producer from Guadeloupe. Amongst many other things Olivier is a member of both The Living Dead Ensemble & produced the film with Spectre Productions. https://olivier-marboeuf.com/a-propos/

Olivier will be in conversation with Adom Philogene Heron (a child of Bristol, grandchild of Dominica and anthropology lecturer at the University of Bristol).

This event is organised by the The Bristol Caribbean Studies Studio, a collective of scholars, writers, scientists and creative practitioners whose work spans the greater Caribbean and its diasporas.

TICKETS

Free but please book here

ACCESSIBILITY

Due to the historic nature of the building this can be difficult for wheelchair users and those with severe mobility issues due to the many steps required to access the venue. The Cube is also not legally permitted to accommodate wheelchairs in the auditorium due to its small size, and the fact that all entrances and emergency exits involve rather steep stairs for access.

Contact us at: a.philogene@bristol.ac.uk

(Doors 18:30, Screening 19:00)