FESTA: A TRILOGY BY SARAH MALDOROR (1979-1980)
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Randwick Ritz, Sydney:
6:00 PM
Tuesday 05 May
Lido Cinemas, Melbourne:
6:00 PM
Tuesday 12 May
Rating: Unclassified 18+
Duration: 80 minutes
Country: France, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau
Language: French and Portuguese with English subtitles
SYDNEY TICKETS ⟶
MELBOURNE TICKETS ⟶
6:00 PM
Tuesday 05 May
Lido Cinemas, Melbourne:
6:00 PM
Tuesday 12 May
Rating: Unclassified 18+
Duration: 80 minutes
Country: France, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau
Language: French and Portuguese with English subtitles
SYDNEY TICKETS ⟶
MELBOURNE TICKETS ⟶
4K RESTORATION – AUSTRALIAN PREMIERE
‘In today’s times, it’s hard to imagine an artist – a Black woman, no less – being so principled yet so prolific, particularly in a medium as capital-intensive as cinema.’ – Devika Girish, The Film Comment Letter
Best known for her radical and groundbreaking 1972 film Sambizanga (Cinema Reborn 2022), Sarah Maldoror directed more than 45 shorts, documentaries and feature films from the 1960s until her passing in 2020. In 1979, having chronicled the anti-colonial liberation movements of Angola and Guinea-Bissau, Maldoror travelled to the islands of Cape Verde to document the nation’s first years of independence from Portuguese rule. Immortalising the period before the Guinea-Bissau coup d’état of November 1980, in which the union of the two countries was broken, Maldoror produced three shorts: Fogo, l’île de feu (1979, 34 mins), Cap-Vert, un carnaval dans le Sahel (1979, 28 mins) and À Bissau, le carnaval (1980, 18 mins). Forming a loose trilogy, these poetic documentaries beautifully capture the jubilance of Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau’s Carnival and May Day preparations and festivities, serving as a testament to culture as the foundation of liberation.
To be preceded by a pre-recorded introduction by Sarah Maldoror’s daughter Annouchka De Andrade.
In-person introduction by Angelica Waite at Ritz Cinemas and Zac Tomé and Grace Boschetti at Lido Cinemas.
‘In today’s times, it’s hard to imagine an artist – a Black woman, no less – being so principled yet so prolific, particularly in a medium as capital-intensive as cinema.’ – Devika Girish, The Film Comment Letter
Best known for her radical and groundbreaking 1972 film Sambizanga (Cinema Reborn 2022), Sarah Maldoror directed more than 45 shorts, documentaries and feature films from the 1960s until her passing in 2020. In 1979, having chronicled the anti-colonial liberation movements of Angola and Guinea-Bissau, Maldoror travelled to the islands of Cape Verde to document the nation’s first years of independence from Portuguese rule. Immortalising the period before the Guinea-Bissau coup d’état of November 1980, in which the union of the two countries was broken, Maldoror produced three shorts: Fogo, l’île de feu (1979, 34 mins), Cap-Vert, un carnaval dans le Sahel (1979, 28 mins) and À Bissau, le carnaval (1980, 18 mins). Forming a loose trilogy, these poetic documentaries beautifully capture the jubilance of Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau’s Carnival and May Day preparations and festivities, serving as a testament to culture as the foundation of liberation.
To be preceded by a pre-recorded introduction by Sarah Maldoror’s daughter Annouchka De Andrade.
In-person introduction by Angelica Waite at Ritz Cinemas and Zac Tomé and Grace Boschetti at Lido Cinemas.
FILM NOTES
By Annouchka de Andrade
By Annouchka de Andrade
Annouchka de Andrade is the founder and executive director of The Friends of Sarah Maldoror and Mario de Andrade Association, which does film restoration, document archiving and translation.
After having filmed the struggle for independence in Angola (Monangambé, 1968; Sambizanga, 1972) and Guinea-Bissau (Des fusils pour Banta (Guns for Banta, 1971), Sarah Maldoror travelled to the Cape Verde Islands in 1979 and Guinea-Bissau in 1980 to film the first years of their independence.
Given the international acclaim of Sambizanga, the first film to raise awareness of the ordeals endured by the former Portuguese colonies, the leaders of Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau soon called upon Maldoror to direct a film to document the countries’ newfound independence.
On the occasion of the Carnival and May Day festivities, the filmmaker reaffirms the convictions of her friend and leader Amílcar Cabral – founder of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) – for whom culture is an expression of history, the foundation of liberation and a means of countering colonial domination. Shot prior to the coup d’état of November 1980 in Guinea-Bissau – bringing an end to the PAIGC – these films remain the last testimonials of the union of the two countries.
During the May Day celebrations depicted in Fogo, l’île de feu, we attend the speech given by the Prime Minister of Cape Verde surrounded by Guinean-Bissé leaders, who have gathered to celebrate Amílcar Cabral. François Maspero’s commentary reminds us of the historical significance of the archipelago – from a trading post for the Portuguese to a safe haven for sailors crossing the headlands. He points out that today, although Fogo has become an island deserted by drought, its population organises a unique festival every year, combining conquest and legends in a spectacle of light.
In Cap-Vert, un carnaval dans le Sahel [and À Bissau, le carnaval], Maldoror films the preparatory stages for the procession – from its meticulous mask-making to its inventive costumes – and her camera lingers on gestures and faces to reveal the display of the imaginary, a source of pride for an entire people.
In this trio of shorts, Sarah Maldoror interweaves culture, tradition and politics, somewhere between documentary and poetry, culminating in a singular result.
My sister Henda and I were committed to restoring these three films to be able to present them together in a single programme as an expression of the emancipating force of culture, and as an illustration of the poetic cinema of our mother, Sarah Maldoror.
Originally published in Il Cinema Ritrovato catalogue, 2024. Reprinted with permission.
Given the international acclaim of Sambizanga, the first film to raise awareness of the ordeals endured by the former Portuguese colonies, the leaders of Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau soon called upon Maldoror to direct a film to document the countries’ newfound independence.
On the occasion of the Carnival and May Day festivities, the filmmaker reaffirms the convictions of her friend and leader Amílcar Cabral – founder of the African Party for the Independence of Guinea and Cape Verde (PAIGC) – for whom culture is an expression of history, the foundation of liberation and a means of countering colonial domination. Shot prior to the coup d’état of November 1980 in Guinea-Bissau – bringing an end to the PAIGC – these films remain the last testimonials of the union of the two countries.
During the May Day celebrations depicted in Fogo, l’île de feu, we attend the speech given by the Prime Minister of Cape Verde surrounded by Guinean-Bissé leaders, who have gathered to celebrate Amílcar Cabral. François Maspero’s commentary reminds us of the historical significance of the archipelago – from a trading post for the Portuguese to a safe haven for sailors crossing the headlands. He points out that today, although Fogo has become an island deserted by drought, its population organises a unique festival every year, combining conquest and legends in a spectacle of light.
In Cap-Vert, un carnaval dans le Sahel [and À Bissau, le carnaval], Maldoror films the preparatory stages for the procession – from its meticulous mask-making to its inventive costumes – and her camera lingers on gestures and faces to reveal the display of the imaginary, a source of pride for an entire people.
In this trio of shorts, Sarah Maldoror interweaves culture, tradition and politics, somewhere between documentary and poetry, culminating in a singular result.
My sister Henda and I were committed to restoring these three films to be able to present them together in a single programme as an expression of the emancipating force of culture, and as an illustration of the poetic cinema of our mother, Sarah Maldoror.
Originally published in Il Cinema Ritrovato catalogue, 2024. Reprinted with permission.
THE RESTORATIONS
Source: Annouchka de Andrade and Henda Ducados
Fogo L’île de feu
Director: Sarah Maldoror; Producer: Sarah Maldoror; Screenplay: Sarah Maldoror; Photography: Suzanne Lipinska; Editor: Salvatore Burgo; Music: José Pereira Cardozo.
France-Cape Verde | 1979 | 34 mins | 4K DCP | Colour | French and Portuguese with English subtitles | Unclassified 18+
Cap-Vert, Un carnaval dans le sahel
Director: Sarah Maldoror; Producer: Sarah Maldoror; Screenplay: Sarah Maldoror; Photography: Pierre Bouchacourt; Editor: Salvatore Burgo.
France-Cape Verde | 1979 | 28 mins | 4K DCP | Colour | French and Portuguese with English subtitles | Unclassified 18+
À Bissau, le carnaval
Director: Sarah Maldoror; Producer: Sarah Maldoror; Production Company: Instituto Nacional de Cinema e Audiovisual, Guiné-Bissau; Photography: Jean-Michel Humeau, Sana Na N’hada, Florentino Gomes; Editor: Stéphanie Moore, Catherine Adda, Sylvie Blanc.
Guinea-Bissau | 1980 | 18 mins | 4K DCP | Colour | French with English subtitles | Unclassified 18+
Fogo L’île de feu
Director: Sarah Maldoror; Producer: Sarah Maldoror; Screenplay: Sarah Maldoror; Photography: Suzanne Lipinska; Editor: Salvatore Burgo; Music: José Pereira Cardozo.
France-Cape Verde | 1979 | 34 mins | 4K DCP | Colour | French and Portuguese with English subtitles | Unclassified 18+
Cap-Vert, Un carnaval dans le sahel
Director: Sarah Maldoror; Producer: Sarah Maldoror; Screenplay: Sarah Maldoror; Photography: Pierre Bouchacourt; Editor: Salvatore Burgo.
France-Cape Verde | 1979 | 28 mins | 4K DCP | Colour | French and Portuguese with English subtitles | Unclassified 18+
À Bissau, le carnaval
Director: Sarah Maldoror; Producer: Sarah Maldoror; Production Company: Instituto Nacional de Cinema e Audiovisual, Guiné-Bissau; Photography: Jean-Michel Humeau, Sana Na N’hada, Florentino Gomes; Editor: Stéphanie Moore, Catherine Adda, Sylvie Blanc.
Guinea-Bissau | 1980 | 18 mins | 4K DCP | Colour | French with English subtitles | Unclassified 18+