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Listen to the Voices film image; boy looking out a window

Listen to the Voices

Kouté Vwa

Spectrum

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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

Director
Cast

Melrick Diomar, Nicole Diomar, Yannick Cébret

Credits
Country of Origin

French Guiana/Belgium/France

Year

2024

Language

In French and Creole with English subtitles

Film Contact
Links
Content Warning

Racist content

18+
76 min
Award Winners Black Cinema Family Relations Q&As at VIFF
Twenty Nine Studio & Production, Spectres Productions

Book Tickets

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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 headshot; Listen to the Voices director

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.

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