Desrances (2019)

Francis, originally from Haiti, left his country after his parents were tragically killed during a crackdown under a dictatorial regime. Now living in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, he shares a home with his wife, Aïssey, and their 12-year-old daughter, Haïla. Francis is waiting for the birth of a son, whom he considers the rightful heir to the Desrances family, whose history goes back to Lamour Desrances, a freed slave who became a general under Napoleon. As Aïssey is about to give birth, Abidjan is plunged into a civil war marked by violent clashes and political instability in 2011. On a chaotic night, while the family is on its way to the hospital, Francis loses contact with his wife and newborn. He then decides to go looking for them, accompanied by his daughter Haïla, in a capital engulfed in violence and mercenaries. Despite her father’s misgivings, Haïla decides to go with him. During their journey, Francis discovers his daughter’s unsuspected courage. In the face of adversity, she proves herself to be the worthy heir to her ancestor Lamour Desrances.