Cleo is just six years old. She adores Gloria, her nanny, who has raised her since she was born. But Gloria must return urgently to Cape Verde to be with her children. Before she leaves, Cleo asks her to keep a promise: to see her again as soon as possible.
Gloria then invites Cléo to come stay with her family on her island to spend one last summer together. Set between France and Cape Verde, the film follows the perspective of this child as she faces separation and discovers a whole new world.
In collaboration with children’s author and illustrator Pierre-Emmanuel Lyet, Marie Amachoukeli blends fiction and animation to depict the volcanic landscape of childhood and the rugged terrain of Cape Verde. A journey seen through a child’s eyes, lulled by Creole poetry and interwoven with themes of attachment, migration, and intergenerational bonds.
Marie Amachoukeli is a director and screenwriter. A graduate of La Fémis, she wrote and directed several short films, including *Forbach* and *C’est gratuit pour les filles*, before co-directing *Party Girl* with Claire Burger and Samuel Theis, which won the Caméra d’Or at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival. She then directed *Àma Gloria*, her first solo feature film, which opened the Critics’ Week section at Cannes in 2023.
Àma Gloria by Marie Amachoukeli (France, 2023, 83 min)
