Directed by:

Med Hondo

Genre / Type of Show:

Film

Language:

In French with English subtitles

Duration:

02:00:00

Audience type:

General audience

Synopsis:

A landmark film in the history of African cinema, this 1979 Algeria-Mauritania French-language musical was directed by Med Hondo adapted from the play Les Negriers (The Slavers) by Daniel Boukman.

French-Mauritanian filmmaker Hondo tells the story of French imperialism as a musical extravaganza (at $1.3 million, the biggest-budget African production ever), adapted from Les Négriers (The Slavers) by Martinican playwright Daniel Boukman. Guadeloupe-born writer Maryse Condé saw it as proof that “militant cinema can be beautiful and rich.” “This witty, scathing Mauritanian-Algerian co-production offers an angry view of West Indian history, using imaginative staging and a fluid visual style. The film’s single set is an enormous slave ship (built in an unused Citroën factory in Paris.)… Mobile camerawork and frequent narrative shifts take the actors through various vignettes about French colonialists invading the Indies, Caribbean natives lured to Paris, the process by which the islands were first settled and a lot more… Mr. Hondo leads the film through a long series of well-connected tableaux, culminating in an almost joyous call to arms.” – Janet Maslin, The New York Times.

Regarding the director

Med Hondo (born Mohamed Abid; 4 May 1935 – 2 March 2019) was a Mauritanian-born French director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. Considered a founding father of African cinema, he is known for his controversial films dealing with issues such as race relations and colonization.[1] His critically acclaimed 1970 directorial début feature, Soleil O, received the Golden Leopard award at the 1970 Locarno International Film Festival and was chosen in 2019 by the African Film Heritage Project for restoration.[2] His 1979 film West Indies was the first African film musical and, at $1.3 million, the most expensive production in African film history.[2]

In his later years, Hondo became known for dubbing Hollywood hits that included Shrek, The Lion King, The Nutty Professor, and Se7en.[3]