REELS OF LIBERATION (AT THE HEART OF EMPIRE) LATIN AMERICAN, CARIBBEAN, AND AFRICAN CINEMA

Credit Hours: 3 · Undergraduate Upper-Level

This seminar explores how revolutionary and postcolonial filmmakers from the Caribbean, Latin America, and Africa used cinema to confront colonial violence, racial injustice, and historical erasure. Set in Paris —itself a city shaped by colonial history and a global hub of film culture— the course weaves together screenings, critical theory, and visits to museums, archives, and public spaces to uncover how colonial legacies reverberate through both the moving image and the urban landscape. Students engage deeply with history, philosophy, and visual theory, while also meeting contemporary filmmakers and artists who continue to shape decolonial practices today. By the end of the course, students will view both cinema and Paris through radically transformed, decolonial lenses.