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Colette and Justin

Play trailer 3:01 Poster for Colette and Justin 2023 1h 29m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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Born in Kinshasa and living in Paris, filmmaker Alain Kassanda embodies the classic immigrant dual identity: in the Democratic Republic of Congo he is seen as French, while in France he is seen as Congolese. Determined to understand the colonial legacy from which he comes, Kassanda convinces his grandparents--Colette and Justin--to sit for a series of interviews. Together, they watch old news footage, remember a visit from the Belgian king, and recall what life was like as part of the nascent Black bourgeoisie who served the colonial administration. But COLETTE AND JUSTIN is more than a film about family reminiscences. Kassanda uses a wealth of black-and-white archival footage to tell the story, superimposing his own thoughts and his grandparents' voices over the visuals--in effect, using the colonizers' images against them. Beginning as one man's search to understand himself and his roots, COLETTE AND JUSTIN is ultimately an evocative and thoughtful meditation on the intersection of political and family history, and the multi-generational destructive reach of colonialism.

Critics Reviews

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Concepción de León New York Times 10/05/2023
A film both intimate and political; informative and profound. It highlights the deep and far-reaching wounds of colonization and offers a balm for its scars. Go to Full Review Read all reviews
Colette and Justin

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Cast & Crew

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Alain Kassanda

Director

Colette Mujinga

Self

Justin Kasanda

Self

Alain Kassanda

Screenwriter

Annabelle Gangneux

Producer

Damien Monnier

Producer
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Colette and Justin

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Movie Info

Synopsis Born in Kinshasa and living in Paris, filmmaker Alain Kassanda embodies the classic immigrant dual identity: in the Democratic Republic of Congo he is seen as French, while in France he is seen as Congolese. Determined to understand the colonial legacy from which he comes, Kassanda convinces his grandparents--Colette and Justin--to sit for a series of interviews. Together, they watch old news footage, remember a visit from the Belgian king, and recall what life was like as part of the nascent Black bourgeoisie who served the colonial administration. But COLETTE AND JUSTIN is more than a film about family reminiscences. Kassanda uses a wealth of black-and-white archival footage to tell the story, superimposing his own thoughts and his grandparents' voices over the visuals--in effect, using the colonizers' images against them. Beginning as one man's search to understand himself and his roots, COLETTE AND JUSTIN is ultimately an evocative and thoughtful meditation on the intersection of political and family history, and the multi-generational destructive reach of colonialism.
Director
Alain Kassanda
Producer
Annabelle Gangneux, Damien Monnier
Screenwriter
Alain Kassanda
Distributor
Icarus Films
Production Co
RTBF, Shelter prod, Luna Blue Film
Genre
Documentary
Original Language
French
Release Date (Theaters)
Oct 6, 2023, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 8, 2023
Runtime
1h 29m