La Bonga
(La Bonga)

La Bonga is a village in Colombia founded by the descendants of Black slaves who found refuge there, but who were forced to flee when chased out by extreme-right paramilitaries. Twenty years after this event, their return to the village takes the form of great collective ritual: a long march followed by a long celebration. The still strong memories of life in La Bonga resurface among the sparse vestiges of the village now overgrown by nature. The camera deftly weaves its way to capture in the same movement the exceptional character of a community’s resistance (the return) and the pain it gives voice to – at the same time, warmth, affirmation and the impossibility of returning home. Florence Maillard