Screening of documentary film 'Regard noir'

• Library
• Real Estate Facilities Service

Screening of the documentary film 'Regard noir' followed by a discussion moderated by Ruth Gbikpi (EUI Library) and Tyala Ifwanga (School of Transnational Governance).

At the César Awards in 2020, the intervention of French actress and film director Aïssa Maïga did not go unnoticed when she addressed the lack of people of color onscreen and behind the camera in French cinema production in her speech. It was not the first time the artist who directed the collective publication Noire n’est pas mon métier (Black is not my profession) (Seuil, 2018) was denouncing the stereotyped roles offered to Black female actresses and the endemic racism in the film industry.  

Pursuing her fight for equality and diversity, Aïssa Maïga made a documentary Regard noir released in 2021. The film is a road trip documentary during which she interviews people from the cinema industry in France, Brazil, and the US and, questions the way diversity on screen is dealt with in different national contexts.  

The film triggers a reflection on the question of representation and the power of images and the glass ceiling imposed on Black women in cinema. These issues, far from being limited to the film industry, echo many professional fields, including academia, where women of colour often struggle to gain professional recognition. The screening will be followed by an informal debate on the invisible barriers that prevent women of colour from reaching higher levels of professional success in fields of excellence.