Showcasing the work of accomplished Martinique director, Euzhan Palcy as part of Hidden Figures; a programme highlighting great directors who deserve greater recognition in the UK.

Although she has won the Silver Lion at the Venice Film Festival, directed Marlon Brando to an Oscar nomination, and created a rich and diverse range of brilliant dramas that explore race and liberation across the world, Euzhan Palcy’s work remains neglected in the UK, and her films are rarely shown.

While the style and tone of the works presented in this programme may differ, they share a subtle criticism of colonial rule and a great compassion towards those who fight against systematic racism and oppression across the world.

Featured Films:

• Sugar Cane Alley (Rue cases nègres) (12A*), 6th October, 6:00 PM – Darling Légitimus won the Best Actress Award at the 40th Venice International Film Festival, for her portrayal of a woman determined to better the life of her grandson, in 1930’s Martinique.
• A Dry White Season (15) + Introduction by Akua Gyamfi, 16th October , 6:20 PM – Euzhan Palcy became the first black woman to direct a Hollywood studio film for this potent drama set at the height of the anti-Apartheid movement.
• Aimé Césaire: A Voice for History (12A*) + Introduction, 26th October, 2:00 PM – Euzhan Palcy pays tribute to her mentor – author, civil rights activist and négritude co-founder Aimé Césaire – in this revealing documentary.

In Cinema screens 2 and 3, click here for more information and to book your tickets.

About Euzhan Palcy:

Born January 13 1958, Palcy is a film director, writer and producer from Martinique, French West Indies. She is notable for being the first black woman director of a film produced by a major Hollywood studio (MGM), for A Dry White Season (1989), as well as being the only woman filmmaker to have directed Marlon Brando, whom she brought back to the screen after a gap of nine years. Palcy is the first black director (male or female) to direct an actor to an Oscar nomination and the first black director to win a César Award, the highest French film award. She is also the first black director to win a Venice Film Festival Award (Silver Lion).

Watch Euzhan speak about the inspiration behind her multi-award winning film Sugar Cane Alley below: