North American Premiere
A powerful, insightful docudrama following a teenage boy from France spending the summer at his grandmother’s house in French Guiana, where he learns about his roots and connects with a community of people still reeling from the tragic loss of his uncle, who died under senseless, violent circumstances several years earlier. Through individual stories, he pieces together a legacy of both personal relevance and broader cultural resonance. The intense community immersion also sees him mastering the drums and partaking in a traditional drumming performance, the final act of initiation into the tight-knit circle.
Drawing from his own background in this emotionally charged feature debut, Maxime Jean-Baptiste demonstrates a sharp understanding of form fluidity and hybridity, skillfully blending verité observation with narrative elements. Loosely structured yet beautifully written, Listen to the Voices captures the essence of formative experiences distilled through poignant conversations with community elders, family members, and peers.
Special Jury Prize CINE+, Locarno 2024
Sept 30 & Oct 1: Q&A with director Maxime Jean-Baptiste
Community Partner
Melrick Diomar, Nicole Diomar, Yannick Cébret
French Guiana/Belgium/France
2024
In French and Creole with English subtitles
Racist content
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
Credits & Director
Producer
Rosa Spaliviero, Olivier Marboeuf
Screenwriter
Audrey Jean-Baptiste, Maxime Jean-Baptiste
Cinematography
Arthur Lauters
Editor
Liyo Gong
Original Music
Mayouri Tchô Nèg, Josy Masse, Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders, London Symphony Orchestra
Maxime Jean-Baptiste
Maxime Jean-Baptiste (born 1993) is a filmmaker based in Brussels and Paris. His work delves into the complexity of Western colonial history and its present-day impacts, focusing on archives and re-enactment as a perspective for conceiving a living, embodied memory. Nou voix (2018) won the Jury Prize at the Festival des Cinémas Différents et Expérimentaux. Listen to the Beat of Our Images (2021), co-directed with his sister Audrey, was selected at CPH:DOX, Hot Docs, IDFA, and many other festivals. His latest film, Listen to the Voices, is his debut feature.
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Man With a Movie Camera Live Scored by Taras Luka
Bottomless invention and frenetic, dizzying montage make this city symphony one of cinema’s sharpest, most exciting experiences nearly a century after its release — here presented with a brand new score by Ukrainian composer and pianist Taras Luka.
Erupcja
Charli xcx headlines this indie gem about a young English couple coming unmoored over a few days in Warsaw. Will means to propose. Beth has cold feet -- and an escape hatch she has barely admitted to herself... Think Before Sunrise 2025.
The Lives of Others
This month's Talking Pictures film is a masterly Cold War thriller set in East Berlin. An agent of the secret police, conducting surveillance on a writer and his lover, finds himself becoming increasingly absorbed by their lives...