2014 Collection

Île Courts Festival is a real little film factory! Put into place by the association Porteurs d’Images, the Film Fabrik program offers Mauritian writers and directors the technical, financial and logistical means to produce their film, from the stage of writing to that of screening.
To this day, 28 short films have this way been produced in 5 collections. Film Fabrik defines itself by its passionate drive to support the emergence of a unique cinema, one that is emblematic of our region yet capable of reaching horizons much beyond our own.
The 2014 Collection presents the four latest productions of the Festival, fiction films as well as documentaries.

The DVD of the 2014 Collection will be on sale at the sites of the Festival, at the Association Porteurs d’Images in Beau Bassin, and at the bookshop of l’Atelier Littéraire in Port Louis at the price of Rs 300.

The three documentary films make up the collection “Notre Histoire n’a pas d’images,” which has received support from the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) for its production. Sophie Robert’s fiction film was produced thanks to the support of the French Cultural Institute of Mauritius. 

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The Films

Un Arbre, une rencontre (Whispering Trees)
Sébastien Sauvage
Mauritius / 2014 / Documentary / 9′

On the island of Mauritius, a few trees are trying to survive to their confrontration with Humans. Portrait of four of these beings full of life and resisting the erosion of the environment. Here, the fragile mangrove lives at the rhythm of the lagoon’s backwash. There, a stubborn filao faces the ocean. Further off, a generous banyan gives refuge to men, while an endemic palm tree suffers from the loneliness of being the last survivor of his species.

Étrangers chez eux (Dreams come Untrue)
Bhimsen Conhyedoss
Mauritius / 2014 / Documentary / 9′

A look into the lives of Rodriguans who leave their island to settle in the Mauritian capital of Port Louis. In the neighbourhood dubbed “Bangladesh” because of its poverty, the newly-arrived survive under harsh living conditions, still hanging on tight to their dream of a better life.

La Leçon d’Anglais (The English Lesson)
Sophie Robert
Mauritius / 2014 / Fiction / 16′

Lakshmi et Ravin, childless couple, dream of emigrating far from their native island. Faced with obstacles, they are close to abandoning this dream. But a peculiar encounter will remind to Lakshmi that she is not a woman to give up so easily.

L’Ombre de Ratsitatane (Ratsitatanina)
Patrice Canabady
Maurice / 2014 / Documentaire / 28′

Ratsitatane! This name echoes in the collective memory of Mauritians, echoes of a story that has never been fully told. From the highlands of Madagascar to the jail of Port Louis, tracking down this figure occulted by History brings us into direct confrontation with the mystery surrounding the events that led to this Malagasy prince to being transformed into a tragic hero.

Les Réalisateurs

Sébastien Sauvage

Sébastien is a “rhizomic scout”… After university studies in psychology in Lille, he invests himself in various militant associations et movements. Vice-president of ECOSUD, President of the association Rhizome Concept, Director at Rhizome Ltd, Factory manager at Cube Design, active in the midst of many civic organizations (KLR, PML…), Assistant Secretary of the People’s Cooperative Renewable Energy Society, Sébastien Sauvage is deeply attached to his island and fellow countrymen.

As part of Film Fabrik, and for the Notre Histoire n’a pas d’images collection, Sébastien Sauvage directs in 2014 his first documentary film, Un Arbre, une rencontre. This short documentary film is his first experience as documentary maker.

Bhimsen Conhyedoss

Born in 1963 in Cassis, Port-Louis, Mauritius, Bhimsen Conhyedoss is a director, photographer and sound engineer. He has collaborated in the production of multiple documentaries and feature films. He is currently a producer at the national TV channel (MBC), where he is responsible for a literary program in Bhojpuri. As sound engineer, he takes credit for Chagos ou la mémoire des îles in 2010 and the collection of five films Venus d’ailleurs-La grande aventure de l’immigration à Maurice, made from 2007 to 2009.

As part of the program of Film Fabrik and collection of Notre Histoire n’a pas d’images, Bhimsen directs in 2014 the short documentary film Étrangers chez eux.

Sophie Robert

Mauritian-born, Sophie Robert first pursues law studies in England. All while working in “the City” (London), she keeps up her interest in cinema and embarks upon a Masters in Film History at the University of Westminster. Her natural penchant for writing leads her to take part in screenwriting workshops, most notably in those of London’s Script Factory. She also participates in some acting workshops and works at the Raindance Film Festival.

Upon returning to Mauritius in 2012, she is selected for Ile Courts 2012’s writing workshop Écrire court. Becoming more and more deeply involved in the field of cinema, she joins the team of David Constantin’s feature film Lonbraz Kann in 2013 as assistant casting director.

As part of Film Fabrik, Sophie Robert directs in 2014 her first short (fiction) film, La Leçon d’anglais.

Patrice Canabady

Born in 1972 in Mauritius, Patrice Canabady is a film editor, director and producer. It’s in 1997 that he makes his debut in the audiovisual field as creative director by writing and directing TV commercials.

In 1999, Patrice Canabady directs his first short (fiction) film entitled The Rendez-vous. The same year, it wins the prize for best actor at the MFDC festival. In 2000, he sets up Clap Productions and is involved in dozens of projects, acting as editor, director and producer. The director has to his credit two further short fiction films, 8 Après midis en 2004, made in 2006 and shown at the Île Courts Short Film Festival in Mauritius, and The Teacher, produced in 2010.

As part of Film Fabrik, and for the Notre Histoire n’a pas d’images collection, he directs in 2014 his first documentary film, L’Ombre de Ratsitatane.