Reckoning and Repair: Representing Trauma and (Post)colonial Violence

Filmmakers and scholars gather to examine how cinema can process the lasting impact of historical violence without replicating harm. This panel offers a nuanced discussion on the representation of trauma, exploring how filmmakers from across the Caribbean, North Africa and the diaspora confront the emotional and institutional legacies of colonialism, war and systemic erasure.

Reckoning and Repair: Representing Trauma and (Post)colonial Violence takes place Sunday, June 1 at the Koubek Center as part of the final day of the 2025 Third Horizon Film Festival. Panelists include Audrey Jean-Baptiste, Pierre Michel Jean and Abdenour Zahzah, with moderation by festival co-founder and board chair Jason Fitzroy Jeffers. Through the lens of films such as Kouté vwa, True Chronicle of the Blida Joinville Psychiatric Hospital in the Last Century and Twice into Oblivion, the conversation considers how cinema addresses the aftershocks of genocide, state oppression and personal grief.

Rather than focus solely on scenes of violence, the panel will explore how these works navigate memory, mourning and survival, while raising questions about ethical storytelling and the role of film in collective healing. Admission is free with RSVP.