Overview

In Ouvertures (2020), a Haitian researcher in France attempts to read the past within the stratigraphic layers of Jurassic limestone. Meanwhile, in Haiti, a group of young actors translate and rehearse scenes from Édouard Glissant’s play Monsieur Toussaint, which recounts the final days of Haitian revolutionary Toussaint L’Ouverture, imprisoned in exile in the Jura in 1803. As he lies on his deathbed, ghosts from the pantheon of Haitian history visit him, putting him on trial. The actors become increasingly possessed by their characters. Eventually, the ghost of L’Ouverture joins the group, leading them on a voyage towards a new kind of exile.

Screening and Booking Information

Ouvertures (2020)
Directors: The Living and the Dead Ensemble
United Kingdom, France
Documentary | 132 minutes
Haitian Creole and French with English and Arabic subtitles

Details about the full programme and the screenings can be found here.