documentary film
2023
in post-production
in post-production
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Gaby and Maximiliano, two Uruguayan immigrants, explore Château Rouge - Goutte d'Or— a transcultural center of the African diaspora in France. Through their conversations with local workers, narratives about identity, racism, and immigration intersect.
film stills
Two Uruguayan immigrants living in Paris, engage in conversations on racism, immigration, and identity. They interact with eight individuals working in Château Rouge - Goutte d’Or : a sapeuse and a safou (African pear) street vendor from DR Congo, a Franco-Tunisian wax-cloth boutique owner, and an African-born book editor, among others. Footage released in 2023 from two French official channels contextualizes their perspectives.
Through a rhizomatic perspective and collage-like aesthetics, the film is a counterpoint to the dominant and often pessimistic narratives associated with Château Rouge - Goutte d'Or. Known as one of the largest African markets in Europe, the small and densely populated neighborhood is, in fact, a rich melting pot where this collection of personal stories intertwines and shapes a sense of community and belonging.
As an 18th arrondissement neighbor for over 20 years, Gaby echoes the sentiment of alterity and foreignness expressed by the individuals in the film through a reflective voiceover. Navigating diverse languages, cultural capital, temporalities, and countries, all the individuals featured in the film reflect on the complexity of France’s post-colonial society, and on how transculturality embodies the essence of the neighborhood.
Funded by LabEx ICCA and currently shortlisted for the GREC RUSH 2024 grant from the Groupe de Recherches et d'Essais Cinématographiques.