After graduating from university in Paris, Elza defies her mother’s wishes and returns to the island of her birth. She wants a break from her hectic city life and to reconnect with the father she barely remembers. In this lushly shot film, Monpierre captures the intricacies of class, skin color, and family ties in Guadeloupe. Winner of FESPACO’s Paul Robeson Award for Best Film of the Diaspora, and the Pan African Film Festival’s Special Jury Prize, Programmers’ Award, and BAFTA/LA Festival Choice Award, Le Bonheur d’Elza was also a New York Times Critics’ Pick. In French language with English subtitles. The film will be preceded by the short film Auntie (2013), directed by Lisa Harewood. (HD presentation)

Director Mariette Monpierre is scheduled to be present.

Inspired by the reflections of scholars Stuart Hall and Paul Gilroy on the roots and routes of black identity, this series is a glimpse into the vibrancy of contemporary Caribbean filmmaking. These films deal with the legacies of migration to and from the region, as well as the tug of close familial and distant ancestral links. Representing the Caribbean’s linguistic and cultural diversity, Roots/Routes especially emphasizes woman-directed and women-centered films as integral to a truly dynamic Caribbean cinema culture. Sponsored by the Black Film Center/Archive, Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, Minority Languages and Cultures Program, and IU Cinema. Special thanks to Nzingha Kendall.

Cost: Free, but ticketed (pick up tickets at the IU Auditorium box office during regular hours or 30 minutes prior to any IU Cinema screening)

For more information contact:

(812)855-7632
[email protected]