This film will be presented during the La Nuit de la danse event on March 21st, 2025 at Théâtre Outremont.
Door of No Return follows performance artist Gregory Maqoma as he explores his personal history through a performance at the House of Slaves on Gorée Island, Senegal, a site emblematic of one of the greatest human tragedies. In his quest to navigate the complexities of the past and present, Gregory’s art rewrites history. The film captures not only a stunning performance but also a powerful physical narrative where he uses his entire body, and movement becomes a means of memory and healing. Poignant, this short film delves into the connection between the artist’s expression and the space charged with both his personal and collective history.
Director’s statement:
As artists and directors, we explore how artists deal with current and historical trauma within themselves and their communities. Trauma inevitably invades the body, and dance allows the visualization and release of the emotions held there. Sylvia had seen Gregory perform in the US; she was mesmerized by how he used his body to explore the untold story of his ancestor, a Xhosa chief who fought British colonizers (…)
The more we got to know Gregory, his leadership, and how he uses his body as an archive, the more we were convinced his story had to be told cinematically. Gregory entrusted us with this story in the feature documentary, Joy Dancer (2024). Door of no Return (2024) was filmed during a shoot for Joy Dancer (2024).
We were in Senegal, where Gregory was on a teaching assignment. Exploring untold history through improvisations in ‘sacred’ spaces is important in Gregory’s art. We arranged to film him in The House of Slaves, on Goree island, a hub for the Atlantic slave trade. Gregory wanted to connect landmarks in the history of slavery. The prison on Goree island reminded him of his ancestor, imprisoned on Robben Island in South Africa, a hundred years before Nelson Mandela.
The improvisation filmed in a single take was not choreographed but a visceral spiritual moment. Gregory said, “I am part of that generation reclaiming many years of history… You go with what you feel, what is right, to embody their story knowing this is their last moment being imprisoned.“
Aesthetically, we wanted to communicate the physicality and emotions through intimate cinematography. Collaboration and mutual trust were critical. We’ve worked together for over a decade on economic and social policy issues, looking at inequality and conflict. Now, through the lens of creative leaders using music and movement as their language, we want to tackle how people navigate complex historical legacies
- Suzanne Smith & Sylvia Solf
Door of No Return follows performance artist Gregory Maqoma as he explores his personal history through a performance at the House of Slaves on Gorée Island, Senegal, a site emblematic of one of the greatest human tragedies. In his quest to navigate the complexities of the past and present, Gregory’s art rewrites history. The film captures not only a stunning performance but also a powerful physical narrative where he uses his entire body, and movement becomes a means of memory and healing. Poignant, this short film delves into the connection between the artist’s expression and the space charged with both his personal and collective history.
Director’s statement:
As artists and directors, we explore how artists deal with current and historical trauma within themselves and their communities. Trauma inevitably invades the body, and dance allows the visualization and release of the emotions held there. Sylvia had seen Gregory perform in the US; she was mesmerized by how he used his body to explore the untold story of his ancestor, a Xhosa chief who fought British colonizers (…)
The more we got to know Gregory, his leadership, and how he uses his body as an archive, the more we were convinced his story had to be told cinematically. Gregory entrusted us with this story in the feature documentary, Joy Dancer (2024). Door of no Return (2024) was filmed during a shoot for Joy Dancer (2024).
We were in Senegal, where Gregory was on a teaching assignment. Exploring untold history through improvisations in ‘sacred’ spaces is important in Gregory’s art. We arranged to film him in The House of Slaves, on Goree island, a hub for the Atlantic slave trade. Gregory wanted to connect landmarks in the history of slavery. The prison on Goree island reminded him of his ancestor, imprisoned on Robben Island in South Africa, a hundred years before Nelson Mandela.
The improvisation filmed in a single take was not choreographed but a visceral spiritual moment. Gregory said, “I am part of that generation reclaiming many years of history… You go with what you feel, what is right, to embody their story knowing this is their last moment being imprisoned.“
Aesthetically, we wanted to communicate the physicality and emotions through intimate cinematography. Collaboration and mutual trust were critical. We’ve worked together for over a decade on economic and social policy issues, looking at inequality and conflict. Now, through the lens of creative leaders using music and movement as their language, we want to tackle how people navigate complex historical legacies
- Suzanne Smith & Sylvia Solf
Other festivals:
Sans Souci Film Festival, USA (2024)
Aesthetica Short Film Festival, UK (2024)
ADF’s Movies by Movers, USA (2024)
Sans Souci Film Festival, USA (2024)
Aesthetica Short Film Festival, UK (2024)
ADF’s Movies by Movers, USA (2024)
| Director | Suzanne Smith, Sylvia Solf |
| Director of Photography | Motheo Moeng |
| Editing | Annukka Lilja |
| Cast | Gregory Maqoma |
| Concept | Gregory Maqoma |
Present in these collections
Session
• Théâtre Outremont
Friday, march 21, 2025, 07:00 p.m. — 10:07 p.m.
Production
Sylvia Solf
Sylvia Solf has a background in dance, film and international relations. She studied contemporary dance in Germany, UK, Mexico, US and Cuba. Dance was her first discipline as an artist. It has been a pillar in her life, a way to get relief, focus the mind and body, express the unspoken, offering a diverse and safe community where ever she lived or traveled. Sylvia found her passion for telling global stories having worked for over 15 years internationally as a freelance journalist, for NGOs, and international organizations on economic inequality. She became increasingly aware and fascinated how our bodies store emotions and hold trauma; and dance and theater as a way to release them and create empathy. Joy Dancer (2024) is her first feature film as director and Door of No Return (2024) her first short film.
Biographical notes provided by the film production team and edited by Le FIFA’s team
Biographical notes provided by the film production team and edited by Le FIFA’s team
Joy Dancer (2024)
Suzanne Smith
Suzanne Smith is a documentary film maker and a conceptual artist working in sculpture and experimental film. She is a graduate of the New School Documentary Film Program (New York) and the Royal College of Art (London). She also has a MA (Economics) from New Zealand. Joy Dancer (2024) is her first feature film — as director and as producer. Her interest in the healing power of art began when she was working in countries trying to recover from wars and civil conflict. Coming into contact with exceptional new leaders, she started exploring what leadership means in different contexts. She is also curious about how people frame their idea of the world around them. This interest began growing up in the South Pacific and continued through an early career focused on the dynamics of economic development.
Biographical notes provided by the film production team and edited by Le FIFA’s team
Biographical notes provided by the film production team and edited by Le FIFA’s team
Joy Dancer (2024)
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