LISTEN TO THE VOICES
[KOUTÉ VWA]
Melrick, an unruly 13-year-old boy living in Stains, France, spends his summers at his grandmother’s house in French Guiana. He loves drumming — in no small part because his uncle Lucas, who tragically died 11 years prior, was also a drummer. As Melrick’s awareness of his family’s devastating past grows, he searches for ways to pay tribute to his history, culture and heritage. Through a blend of intimate invented scenarios and carefully observed documentary footage, director Maxime Jean-Baptiste deftly crafts a heart-wrenching, deeply human portrait of a family and a community that are committed to the anti-colonial struggle while trying to reconcile their grief with an impulse for revenge. LISTEN TO THE VOICES is urgent, beautiful and filled with humanity. (Note courtesy of the Chicago Film Festival.) Official Selection, 2025 New Directors/New Films; Winner, Yellow Robin Award, 2025 Curaçao International Film Festival. DIR/SCR Maxime Jean-Baptiste; SCR Audrey Jean-Baptiste; PROD Rosa Spaliviero, Olivier Marboeuf. Belgium/France/French Guiana, 2024, color, 77 min. In French and Guianese Creole with English subtitles. NOT RATED
Run Time: 77 Minutes
Opening Date: Saturday, June 07, 2025
Genre: Drama