Les Films du 3 Mars and Les Films de l’Autre announce the theatrical release of the feature documentary Zoh reken, written, produced and directed by Emanuel Licha. The film will be released in Quebec on March 18. Cine-encounters in the presence of the director as well as a round table hosted by Claudia Hébert with Rodeney Cirius and Viva Paci are also on the program.
“Zo reken” / Photo: All rights reserved @ Les Films de l’Autre and Les F3M
Synopsis
Zo reken (“shark bone”) is the nickname given in Haiti to the Toyota Land Cruiser, a powerful all-terrain vehicle that has been highly prized by international humanitarian organizations that have been omnipresent in the country since the 2010 earthquake.
Ten years later, in a country in turmoil and more blocked than ever, a zo reken is diverted from its usual use to be transformed into a mobile space for meetings and discussion between Haitians∙ne∙s.
No more foreign aid workers can board. The driver leads the conversation with his passengers, all citizens of Port-au-Prince, while he tries to make his way between the barricades and the demonstrations.
We talk about the state of the country, neocolonialism and humanitarian aid, and anger rises: against the president in place who has lost the confidence of the population, against the unfulfilled promises of aid from the international community, and against the violence suffered by the most vulnerable.
Zo reken is a road movie and a talking machine.
Film meetings and a round table on the program
In total, four film-encounters with the filmmaker will take place, in three different cinemas! The public is thus invited to discuss with the filmmaker Emanuel Licha who will be present at the Cinéma Public on March 18 and 26 at 6:30 p.m. and 6:20 p.m., at the Cinémathèque québécoise on Saturday March 19 at 7 p.m., as well as at the Cinéma Modern, the next day, Sunday, March 20 at 5:45 p.m.
The director will also be present during a round table presented at the Cinéma du Musée on Saturday March 19 at 2 p.m. Hosted by director Claudia Hébert, the one-hour discussion will be fueled by the presence of guests Rodeney Cirius and Viva Paci.
About Emanuel Licha
Initially trained in urban geography, then in visual arts, Emanuel Licha is an artist and filmmaker. His films are interested in specific spatial and architectural objects, leading him to consider the objects of the urban landscape as so many social, historical and political clues.
His film installations have been presented in many museum institutions around the world, and Hotel Machine (2016), his first creative documentary feature, premiered in competition at the Cinéma du réel at the Center Pompidou and won various prizes.
Zo reken is his second feature documentary.