New York-based world film distributor Cinema Guild has acquired North American distribution rights The Ballad of Susan Césaireis the first feature film by artist, writer, and director Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich.
The film is described as “a post-biopic about Caribbean surrealist Susan Césaire that deconstructs the process of bringing real life into cinema. The film explores her relationship with her husband, the French politician The relationship between Aimé Césaire and the famous surrealist André Breton The film was shot in South Florida and takes place mostly in the space of the film itself, with a small cast and crew. Confront the writer’s history and the staged scenes of her life and try to understand it.
The Film Institute said: “Inspired by the structures of Césaire’s own writing, which often employed colonial conventions and unpacked them, this film deconstructs the narrative period biopic genre, working within the confines of traditional cinema and conception. Move between experimental scenes.
The company plans to release the film theatrically next year, calling it a “35mm print tour.”
Starring César Award winner Zita Hanrot, Motel Gyn Foster and Josué Gutierrez, The Ballad of Susan Césaire The soundtrack was composed by singer Sabine McCalla. The film premiered at the Rotterdam International Film Festival earlier this year and has since been screened at FID Marseille, Toronto International Film Festival, New York Film Festival, BFI London Film Festival and Vienna Film Festival.
in a recent interview THRHunter-Ehrlich said “surrealism is the crack in the expectation,” explaining that she likes to surprise audiences with her films and their form. “How do you create that vibration or spark that, instead of catapulting you into the desired outcome, something else happens?”
“Madeline Hunt-Ehrlich is an exciting new voice in film,” said Peter Kelly, president of the Film Society. “This first feature is smart, beautiful and is sure to spark a lot of discussion, and we can’t wait to share it with our audience.”
Hunter-Ehrlich added: “I’m delighted to be working with the Motion Picture Association. It’s an honor to have them bring The Ballad of Susan Césaire To a wider audience and with other artists and filmmakers they collaborate with.
Cinema Guild’s upcoming releases include films by Hong Sang-soo Traveler’s needs, by the streamMatias Pinero you burned meand a 4k restored film retrospective of João César Monteiro. Recent releases include Kazik Radwanski’s matt and marlaand the 4K restoration of Somai Shinji move.
Hunter-Ehrlich focuses on films that she says “focus on the inner world of black women.” Her work has screened at the Berlin International Film Festival, Venice Biennale, Guggenheim Museum, Tate Modern, and the Whitney Museum of Art.
“The Song of Susan Césaire” movie stills
