Rue Cases-Nègres

In 1930s Martinique, orphan José lives with his grandmother in the shacks on the edge of a sugar cane plantation. While the adults work long days in the fields for the French colonial rulers, the children are left to their own devices. José learns about his African heritage from old man Medouze, whose father was trafficked into slavery. At the village school, he learns the names of French glaciers. “Learning is the key that opens the second door to our freedom,” says the teacher. With his support, José is able to go to school in the capital. But to pay for it, his grandmother still has to work despite her advanced age. (Berlinale)