FESPACO 2011

"Black Hands - Trial of the Arsonist Slave" investigates slavery in Canada through the story of Marie-Josèphe Angélique, a Black enslaved woman accused of burning Montreal in 1734. After an epic trial, this untamable slave is tortured and sentenced to death. But was she really guilty of this crime or was she the victim of a bigger conspiracy? Why this voluntary amnesia about this unknown page of Canadian history? A fascinating 52 minute documentary that powerfully mixes interviews with historians and theatre re-enactments filmed in the same style as Dogville by Lars Von Trier.