Makandra: RootsMakandra: Roots

Three short documentaries explore family history, language and identity, from Surinamese grandmothers to filmmaker Shellen Arga’s Javanese roots and the history of Sranantongo.

Makandra: Roots brings together three short documentaries about family background, language and identity. In Fayalobi, two grandmothers look back at their lives before and after Suriname became independent, while their granddaughters consider the heritage of strength, struggle and hope passed on to them. In Het bloed dat door mij stroomt, filmmaker Shellen Arga examines her Javanese roots and the influence of her mother and grandmother on her own identity. A Strey fu a Sranantongo focuses on the history of Sranantongo and shows how a language that was once suppressed became a symbol of connection, identity and self-determination.

Story written by Evenitto from the film catalogue and the cinemas' notes