29.04.25, 20:30, Wan Pipel (1976)

The colony is dead, long live the Republic! 25 November 1975 was a monumental day for the Surinamese people. It was the date of the Surinamese colony's death and the birth of the independent Republic of Suriname. After hundreds of years of colonisation, the subjugation by the Netherlands came to an end. A year later, the first feature film about this fledgling country was also released. With Wan Pipel, Paramaribo-born Pim de la Parra tells a familiar love story against the backdrop of a multi-ethnic country that has just gained its autonomy, but still has to navigate a landscape of political and racial tensions.

During his studies in the Netherlands, Roy Ferrol, a Surinamese economics student, is called back to his native country to bid his mother a final farewell. When Roy falls in love with the Hindu Rubia, he rediscovers his own colourful culture and no longer wants to return to the Netherlands. He tries to find his place in the conflict between both lives. This Surinamese-Dutch production is broadcast on Surinamese television every year around 25 November, independence day. It is a portrait of a young state that must develop its identity after years of oppression.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Bodil de la Parra, daughter of director Pim de la Parra.