Gentille M. Assih

Ma traversée is a personal quest, filmed over 20 years, recounting the racial issues and privileges that have punctuated the filmmaker’s life in three French-speaking societies: Guadeloupe, France and Quebec. From her own story emerges the broader narrative of colonization, colorism, assimilation, integration and the social benefits of “race” and their impact even today. Brutalized by police officers in Montreal in December 2017 in front of witnesses, the filmmaker takes a step back to understand this gesture, which speaks to the social interpretation of skin color.

Le Rite, la Folle et moi is a story of transmission, an opportunity to understand the weight of traditions and the complexity of African cultures. It is above all an opportunity for two sisters to erase the insult that taints their grandmother's descendants.