“Chœurs Atlantiques | Tales from the Atlantic Beyond,” a documentary produced and directed by Safoi Babana-Hampton, Professor of French and Francophone Studies in the Department of Romance and Classical Studies at Michigan State University, is reaching audiences worldwide through an expanding series of film festival screenings, including a screening in Michigan on Friday, Sept. 12, and at one of the top film festivals in Europe that focuses on Africa and the African diaspora. The film also won Best International Documentary Award at one festival.
At the heart of “Chœurs Atlantiques” is Babana-Hampton’s effort to uncover the silenced stories of the transatlantic slave trade and its lasting impact on the Francophone Afro-Caribbean world by bringing together artists, historians, and policymakers to challenge Eurocentric narratives and to reclaim and preserve the memory of the Black Atlantic experience beyond dehumanizing accounts.
The film won the Best International Documentary Award at the NOVA Fest (Northern Virginia International Film Festival) in April 2025.