Libre de choix

A portrait of Cameroonian born Maman Rosalie Makoudjou who immigrated from her home to a foreign country. This short film is a visually lyrical exploration of a woman’s vision and negotiation of identity as a wife, mother and professional as she challenges a fate prescribed to her by her entourage.

Many of the people I know who have immigrated have chosen to integrate a different society due to its perceived superiority – whether economically, socially, politically or otherwise. However, most leave their country of origin with preconceived ideas of what life in a new society will be like, the image of which is often shaped by the media. By engaging in a dialogue with Sub Saharan African women who have immigrated to Washington D.C., this film will seek to address the disparity between expectations of what a ‘new life’ will bring and the reality of living in a ‘host’ country and dealing with issues such as social and cultural displacement and the consequent re-negotiation of one’s own identity within a foreign environment.
Emilie Kengmo Chapatte is a visual anthropologist and dancer and lives and works between Lyon and Manchester.

Film: https://vimeo.com/155535045