Gessica Généus wins the Gold Hugo at Chicago for Marie Madeleine

According to Le Nouvelliste, it is the first time a black Caribbean woman director has received this award. Rezo Nòdwès specifies that Haitian media Chokarella says it is the first time a black woman has won in this category.

NAGO reported on September 27 that Marie Madeleine had won the best film prize in Rome.

Other Awards for the Film

Both media outlets cite the Grand Jury Prize at Cabourg and the best film award at the Villa Medici festival in Rome. Rezo Nòdwès dates the latter to September 19. The same media outlet adds that the director of photography, Nicolas Canniccioni, won an award in Namur, Belgium.

A Film Shot in Jacmel

According to Rezo Nòdwès, the feature film, approximately 1 hour and 44 minutes long, takes place in Jacmel. It follows a woman who lives off prostitution and rejects the moral norms of her surroundings. Her encounter with Joseph, a young evangelical, sparks a bond that their opposing beliefs challenge. Gessica Généus directs and writes the screenplay, and stars in the lead role. Béonard Monteau, Édouard Baptiste, and Mélissa Mildort play alongside her. Martial Salomon handled the editing.

The media notes that the film had its world premiere at Cannes in the Cannes Première section in May and then at Toronto. It was released in theaters in France on October 21. The production includes companies from Haiti, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Canada. The Quebec company Metafilms, associated with Sylvain Corbeil, is part of it.

A Planned American Release

According to Rezo Nòdwès, ArtMattan Films announced on October 22 that they had acquired the distribution rights for the film in the United States. A release in theaters and on digital platforms is planned for 2027. The media recalls that the director's previous feature film, Freda, was presented at Cannes in 2021.