Laure PROTAT
Asian Premiere
Colette Madar—or Mamie, as she is known to her grandchildren—makes the best meatballs couscous! I asked my grandmother to tell how she—a faithless girl from France—became the Queen of the Tunisian meatballs couscous, the Shabbat dish for local Jews. For us, she 'pulled out of her body' the story of where we come from, a story of mixed cultures and love.
A grandmother and her grandchildren make Tunisian meatball couscous together. The kids wonder how their French grandmother has become a master of Tunisian cuisine. The grandmother calmly explains her recipe and her voice remains calm even as she relates to the beginning of her family 60 years ago. Mixing couscous, her grandchildren recognize the reason why she became a master chef. The film offers no images of abundant food or scenes of people sampling dishes. Instead, it reminds the audience of the values of love and family, confirms respect for humanity and religion, and focuses on the way everyday memories are shared across generations. There is a soothing balance between the on-site sound of cooking and the voiceover conversations. The film is dedicated to the director's grandparents. It is also for her siblings and their future children. One day, the next generation of children will remember their great-grandmother in her youth keeping Sabbath holy and putting a lot of effort into cooking. Just like her, they will embrace and sympathize with people from different cultures. [Jisu Klaire YOO]
Laure PROTAT
Meatballs Couscous (2018)
Chaï Chaï Films 33 698 852 549 / jonas@chaichaifilms.com