FOGO, ÎLE DE FEU
France, Cape Verde | 1979 | 33 min | col. | o.v. French, Portuguese
From the volcanic core of Cape Verde, Maldoror gives us a vibrant depiction of the island of Fogo. While not strictly an ethnographic documentary, it is an act of poetry in which work, feasting, and colonial memory are intertwined. The daily life – fishing, storytelling, May Day celebrations – surfaces amid the dust and wind in the form of gestures of quiet resistance. François Maspero’s commentary adds historical depth to the (unexotic) images that flow gracefully. The director films reality with a loving and yet lucid approach, conveying the dignity of a community that fights and dreams. A soft-spoken film that nonetheless sticks, like lava under the skin. (L.F.)
Local Time
- Timezone: America/New_York
- Date: 04 Nov 2025
- Time: 10:30
Location
- Cinema Astra - Piazza Cesare Beccaria, 9 50121 Florence (FI)
Organizer
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Sarah Maldoror
Sarah Maldoror (1929–2020) was a French director, Pan-African by adoption, revolutionary voice, and the first female filmmaker in African cinema. She chronicled the wars of liberation in the former Portuguese colonies, with a particular focus on the role of women in the struggle. After founding the first theater company of black actors in France, Les Griots, in 1956, she was assistant director to Pontecorvo for The Battle of Algiers in 1966, and then to William Klein for Festival panafricain d'Alger (1969). Her first feature film was also the first ever made by an African female director: Sambizanga (1972). Her other major works include her debut short film Monangambééé (1969), Aimé Césaire, un homme une terre (1976), Aimé Césaire – Le Masque des mots (1987), Portrait de Assia Djebar (1989), and Léon G. Damas (1994).
