Synopsis

In today’s Ecuador, the black population, the descendants of slaves, continue to experience strong social discrimination. Yet people in the community still strive to value their specific culture and transmit the rebellious memory of their ancestors who fought for freedom. On arriving in Esmeraldas in Ecuador, Patrice Raynal finds himself immersed in the tumult of a carnival. The music and dancing – part of this culture, but a more ambi­guous phenomena than first appears – provide the through-line for his first-person narrative.

Details

Medium Length (58mins) | Ecuador, France

Production

Directors:

Patrice Raynal

After studying social sciences and music composition, Patrice Raynal turned to documentary creation. Following an immersive film shoot in Burkina Faso, his first film raises awareness among rural populations about AIDS. Following this experience, he continued his training at the Créadoc d'Angoulème and obtained a Master's degree in documentary production in Bordeaux. Reynal co-founded the association, Tourné Monté Films, which works to promote and educate on the documentary and the image. Winner of Archi'doc of the Fémis, he began writing what became "Esméraldas Beach". Today, Patrice Raynal works as a sound engineer and regularly works in an audiovisual school for young people.