There is an idea within the current political sphere, mostly among the right-wing, that we shouldn’t talk about slavery. This idea is supported by such talking points as “we don’t want white kids to feel bad for being white” or “this only matters to black people". For example, the French government had, a few decades ago, created the slogan, “We were all born in 1848”, the year they abolished slavery. To people like Emmanuel Gordien, it implied that slavery never existed. However, the horrors of the past will not stay silent. Safoi Babana-Hampton’s Chœurs Atlantiques | Tales from the Atlantic Beyond is a tribute to the victims of slavery that, in the words of Gordien, “Find all our ancestors, understand all their history… and finally, to honor them”.
Babana-Hampton, in multiple different ways, brings the disregarded past to the present. Nowhere else is the best exemplified than the Maroons. Seen throughout the film, actors Rita Ravier, Giovanny Germany, and Patrick Hierso portray the Maroons -- the escaped slaves traveling through Martinique. Towards the end of the film, they make their way to Memorial Cap 110, a monument to commemorate the African captives who died in a shipwreck of the island's coast. It is there, in this land far from home, that they see their descendants congregated to honor them. To speak of the horrors they suffered from slavery and the slave trade, as well as their resistance to those horrors and the traditions and history that they brought from Africa (the Griot storytellers, Sundiata Keita, etc.). Through this scene, Banana-Hapton literally brings the past to the present. As one of the speakers said, “We hear you. We see you. We feel you.”
Babana-Hampton also used digital media from past events to show the fight for memory. For example, there was a huge protest/march in France over the slogan from the first paragraph. In this project, we see actual video footage of the march. “...they were anonymous individuals, elected officials of all trends, athletic and showbiz celebrities; they all protested against a certain form of revisionism”. This is not the only view we have of the resistance of revisionism; we have first-hand accounts from people who participated in that fight. The filmmaker interviewed people like Emmanuel Gordien and Claudy Siar, who were present at the march, as well as former prime minister Jean-Marc Ayrault who, while the mayor of Nantes, co-sponsored the Taubira Law of 2001 to acknowledge slavery as a crime against humanity (the fact she managed to get an interview with a former prime minister is astounding).
For all of its praiseworthy qualities, there is some criticism to be levied against this film, particularly in its use of AI art. Putting aside any personal opinions of AI art, it is obvious to anyone paying attention that these images are computer generated. In a film that showcased so much man-made art of such good quality (especially from visual artist Laurent Valère), its inclusion felt unnecessary. In addition, the camerawork could be (quite literally) shaky, especially in some of the outdoor scenes. It gives the impression that someone is filming from a handheld camera. While such camerawork can be stylistic and works for some of the historical footage that was used, it feels out of place for scenes like the finale or the Maroon reenactment.
In spite of these few flaws, Chœurs Atlantiques | Tales from the Atlantic Beyond is an engaging project; one that, in a time of historic revisionism, shines a spotlight on the horrors of the past and the beauty of overcoming it. This film succeeds in its attempt to find, understand, and honor those who many were so desperate to conceal.
Chœurs Atlantiques | Tales from the Atlantic Beyond will be screening at the Fall 2025 New Jersey Film Festival on Friday, October 3. The film will be Online for 24 Hours and In-Person at 7 PM in Voorhees Hall #105/Rutgers University, 71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick, NJ. Director Safoi Babana-Hampton will be on hand to do a Q+A with the in-person audience!
Tickets are available for purchase here.
The 44th Bi-Annual New Jersey Film Festival will be taking place between September 5-October 10, 2025. The Festival will be a hybrid as we will be presenting it online as well as doing select in-person screenings at Rutgers University. All the films will be available virtually via Video on Demand for 24 hours on their show date. VoD start times are at 12 Midnight Eastern USA. Each General Admission Ticket or Festival Pass purchased is good for both the virtual and the in-person screenings. Plus, we are very proud to announce that acclaimed band Cold Weather Company will be doing an audio-visual concert on Friday, October 10 at 7PM. The in-person screenings and the Cold Weather Company concert will be held in Voorhees Hall #105/Rutgers University, 71 Hamilton Street, New Brunswick, NJ beginning at 5PM or 7PM on their show date. General Admission Ticket=$15 Per Program; Festival All Access Pass=$120; In-Person Only Student Ticket=$10 Per Program. For more info go here:
https://newjerseyfilmfestivalfall2025.eventive.org/welcome
or region of New Jersey
click here for our advanced search.
or region of New Jersey
click here for our advanced search.
