The Ballad Of Suzanne CesairePG

Directed by Madeleine Hunt Ehrlich | USA | 2024 | 1h 15m

A trailblazer of Afro-Caribbean surrealism, a committed feminist and anti-colonialist, and co-founder of the influential Martinican journal Tropiques, Suzanne Césaire was a formidable intellectual force. Yet her legacy has long been eclipsed by that of her husband, the renowned poet and statesman Aimé Césaire. Drawing on Suzanne’s own writings and intimate testimony from her family, Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich’s delicately layered documentary essay seeks to restore her rightful place in history. Rather than reducing her to biography, the film honours Césaire’s legacy through an evocative blend of memory, imagination, and mystery, celebrating what we know while embracing what remains unknowable.

Reviews

‘This succinct, elliptical feature by American filmmaker and visual artist Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich is not so much about its subject as it is a cinematic song or poem for her.’
Jonathan Romney, The FT

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We showed The Ballad Of Suzanne Cesaire between August 17, 2025 and August 21, 2025.

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Plan your visit

Our beautiful art deco inspired auditorium can be found just off East Oxford's Cowley Road.We are open 7 days a week. We open the cinema and box office 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each film, and the Box Office then closes 10 minutes after the film starts. We only show a few adverts – less than most cinemas – and we only play a couple of trailers, so please don’t be late as the film itself starts very close to the advertised time!