L E   F I F A
L E   F I F A
Restituer ? L'Afrique en quête de ses chefs-d'oeuvre

North American Premiere

Restituer ? L’Afrique en quête de ses chefs-d’oeuvre

Nora Philippe

France, Germany | 2021 | 1 h 22 min
French, English |
Subtitles: French
The language in this film may be offensive to some people. Viewer discretion is advised.

We often forget that Western museums have hundreds of thousands of objects and works of art that were stolen from sub-Saharan Africa during the colonization period. Engaging in a nationalist race starting in the late nineteenth century, European countries sought to build the most grandiose museums and the richest collections. Since these lootings, the communities and countries of origin have been fighting for the return of their exiled works, sacred objects, and ancestors. Europe has rarely wanted to hear their voices, and the great museums of the Northern Hemisphere have always resisted this call for justice. In 2018, a report commissioned by the French presidency and written by thinkers Felwine Sarr and Bénédicte Savoy caused an uproar. The time for final restitution seems to have come. African museums are multiplying and preparing for these works to return. Yet the colonial spectre continues to haunt this complex geopolitical context. Will European countries keep their promises?
Director Nora Philippe
Author Nora Philippe
Production Laurence Miller
Editing Barbara Bascou, Tania Goldenberg, Anne Souriau
Music Thibault Kientz Agyeman

In Partnership with

Sessions

• Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec
Wednesday, march 23, 2022, 01:30 p.m. — 03:30 p.m.
• Cinéma du Musée - Auditorium Maxwell-Cummings
Friday, march 25, 2022, 03:00 p.m. — 05:00 p.m.
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Production

Nora Philippe

Nora Philippe

Available in French only

Autrice-réalisatrice, elle a notamment réalisé le long-métrage documentaire Pôle emploi, ne quittez pas !, Like Dolls, I’ll Rise et Les Ensortilèges de James Ensor. Historienne de l’art de formation, elle a été la commissaire de l’exposition Black Dolls à La maison rouge en 2018, elle programme régulièrement des cycles de films français pour Columbia University, notamment Blackness in French Film en 2018, dans la continuité de sa recherche sur la représentation des Noir​.es. Chercheuse, elle est membre associée du projet de recherche ANR (Université Paris-Descartes) sur les Restitutions, « ReTours, géopolitiques du patrimoine, économies du retour, imaginaires du tourisme. »

Biographical notes provided by the film production team

In the same sessions

Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec

Wednesday, march 23, 2022, 01:30 p.m.

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Cinéma du Musée - Auditorium Maxwell-Cummings

Friday, march 25, 2022, 03:00 p.m.

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