Ni Chaines, Ni Maitres (2024)

Trigger warnings: Violence

Language: French with English subtitles 

Synopsis : In 1759, the Island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean is under French colonial rule. The enslaved population working in the sugar cane plantation live in constant fear. Among them, 16-year-old Mati refuses to accept her fate. Unlike her father Massamba, who has grown disillusioned by years of oppression, Mati dreams of freedom and a life beyond the plantation. One night, desperate to flee the violence of her captors, Mati finds refuge in a remote part of the island rumored to be home to a community of runaway slaves. Her escape triggers a ruthless pursuit. The plantation owner hires the merciless slave owner Madame La Victoire and her sons to track her down. Massamba realizes the brutal consequences awaiting her daughter if she gets captured. He ha no choice but to break free from his chains and embark on a perilous journey through the island’s dense jungle to find her. The father and daughter’s journey becomes a desperate fight for survival and a final, irreversible break from the colonial system that has defined their lives.