Frédéric Mainçon

In autumn 2016, demonstrations sprang up all over Europe against the CETA free-trade agreement between the European Union and Canada. The reason? An obscure clause which allows multinationals to sue nation states if they feel their profits may be damaged by government decisions. An investigation into the hidden world of international arbitration.

A group of old friends gather to scatter the ashes of a husband, a father, a friend in a place where present is confronted to the past. As if wasn’t flying, as if past and present were united.

Juan, the film director, is Ecuadorian, his partner, Francisca, is Cuban. They live in Paris where their two children were born, just like Juan 30 years earlier. By switching back and forward from past to present, between the history of a family across 3 generations and that of a whole continent, the film director considers the issue of political commitment and the heritage left to the next generation in the form of a letter from a father to his children.

At the Palais de Tokyo, a contemporary art center in Paris, security guards monitor the artworks, observe, search, and screen the public. Most are of African origin—whether French citizens or not—and come from various African countries. How do they watch "us" live? To what extent do they feel they belong to this "us"? Through their observations, the film reveals something of who they are.

In search of a missing friend, Astrid investigates to understand why, nine years ago, her friend chose to end their relationship without explanation. The investigation becomes introspection: friendship and relationships with others are called into question.

A worker woman lives in her little house, works in a factory, shops in a market. One morning, the factory starts moving and gets out of the field…