Film: Ava & Gabriel: Un Historia di Amor
On 22 June, Filmhuis De Spiegel, in collaboration with SCHUNCK, will screen Ava & Gabriel: Un Historia di Amor as part of Rinella Alfonso & Charles Eyck: On the Other Side of the Ocean.
At the request of the local priest, a painter (Cliff San-A-Jong) travels from the Netherlands to Curaçao to create a mural of the Virgin Mary. To the surprise of both the clergy and the local community, the traditionally trained artist is Black. Even more striking: the Mary in his sketch is Black too.
Ava & Gabriel (1990) is a film about breaking with tradition – and the consequences that come with it. This multilingual drama by Felix de Rooy uses the blossoming love between painter Gabriel and his model Ava (Nashaira Desbarida) – as well as the affair between the governor’s wife and Gabriel – to explore the power dynamics in 1940s Curaçao.
Felix de Rooy (1952) is a filmmaker from Curaçao who also works as an actor, visual artist, theatre maker, and collector. Many young artists in the Netherlands and the Caribbean consider him a major source of inspiration.
This screening will be introduced by film journalist Guus Schulting (Filmkrant), a close acquaintance of Felix de Rooy. Schulting contributed to De Rooy’s exhibition at the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and interviewed him on several occasions. He will guide us through De Rooy’s work and provide context on cinema in Curaçao.
The Netherlands, 1990 / 100 minutes
Director: Felix de Rooy
With: Nashaira Desbarida, Cliff San-A-Jong, Geert de Jong, and others
Until 14 September, SCHUNCK is showing the exhibition Rinella Alfonso & Charles Eyck: On the Other Side of the Ocean. To accompany it, Filmhuis De Spiegel, in collaboration with SCHUNCK, will screen three films linked to the show.