Sugar Cane Alley - (Euzhan Palcy, 1983)

Set in Martinique in the early 1930s, Sugar Cane Alley follows the lives of young Jose (Garry Cadenat) and his grandmother M’Man Tine (Darling Légitimus) as they eke out a daily living by toiling in the harsh conditions of a French-owned sugar cane plantation. Despite their lives of hardship, M’Man and Jose dedicate themselves to his education in hopes it will lead to a happier future for the two of them. Winner of the César Award (the French equivalent of the Oscars) for Best First Feature Film. Based upon Joseph Zobel’s semi-autobiographical novel. A Q&A with Palcy follows the screening. In French and Martinican Creole with English subtitles. (103 mins., DCP)