Screening and Discussion with Director Alice Diop
Monday, April 22, 2024
6 PM, In-Person Event
Lohrfink Auditorium, Hariri Building, Georgetown University Main Campus
Presented by Georgetown University Gender+ Justice Initiative, French and Francophone Studies Department, Women’s and Gender Studies Program, Film and Media Studies Program, Culture and Politics Program and French In Motion.
Join us for a screening of Saint Omer and discussion with the director, Alice Diop. Moderated by Rokhaya Diallo and Leonard Cortana.
Synopsis: A journalist Rama (Kayije Kagame) attends the trial of Laurence (Guslagie Malanda), a Senegalese woman accused of killing her baby. Laurence claims it was sorcery, complicating Rama’s plan to write about her inspired by the Medea myth. As Rama delves deeper, she confronts memories of her immigrant mother and her own impending motherhood. Saint Omer skillfully blends courtroom drama, psychological exploration, and cultural examination, creating a nuanced portrayal of human agency and the complexities of cross-cultural understanding. Click here to watch the trailer.
Saint Omer is France’s 2023 Oscars entry. It made the Oscar Shortlist for Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards. It won the Silver Lion Grand Jury prize along with the Luigi De Laurentiis Lion of the Future award. It was awarded the César in 2023 for best First Feature Film.
About the director:
Alice Diop, is an acclaimed French director of Senegalese descent, she holds a Masters in History and a Doctorate in Visual Sociology from Panthéon-Sorbonne University. She studied documentary filmmaking at La Femis in Paris and has written and directed several documentaries. In 2011, Diop’s feature documentary Danton’s Death won the Library Award at the Cinéma du Réel Festival as well as the Etoile de la Scam 2012 Award. In 2017, she won a César for Best Short Film with Vers la tendresse and the Grand Prix at the Brive Film Festival. Her 2020 documentary, Nous, won the Encounters Award at the 2021 Berlin International Film Festival. Her first feature-length fiction film, Saint Omer, selected in competition at the 2022 Venice International Film Festival, won the Silver Lion – Grand Jury Prize and the Lion of the Future – “Luigi De Laurentiis” Award for Best Debut Film, as well as a dozen other prizes at numerous international festivals. Saint Omer was chosen to represent France at the 2022 Academy Awards®.
Accommodation requests can be made at genderjustice@georgetown.edu
This event is free and open to all.
