S1.E1 ∙ They Bullied Me So I Got Buff

An inspiring and dedicated group of African Canadian teens retrace the path of their ancestors' journey which lead them to the US from Africa, and from the US to their final resting place in Nova Scotia, Canada. They were the forgotten Americans; former slaves and free blacks who left the US in the 17 and 1800's in hopes of a better life in Canada. Instead, they were unprepared for what met them when they landed on the shores of Nova Scotia. The youth incorporate multiple artistic disciplines; including poetry, song, narration, African drumming and re-enactments to weave this powerful story.

A raw ode to the miracle of fertility and its transience. The filmmaker followed the trail of the unconventional Dutch Japanese pianist Tomoko Mukaiyama who invited women (and men) to reflect upon this primal theme by means of an art project in Japan. They talk, sometimes for the first time, about children that were or were not born, about sexuality and choices they made. Their stories are interwoven with the music of Bach, sensually interpreted by the pianist, and lead to a Buddhist ritual for unborn children. The pianist and the filmmaker kept silent for a long time about their own deeper motivations. In the course of the creative process and the film, it becomes clear what drives them both, each from her own fate.

At the end of the formation of the IFFCAM (wildlife film school of Menigoute), students have a tradition of making a collective own production with volunteer members their promotion. The Institute is providing material support and projects are produced by the student association. Frogs on the roof is the project written, shooted and edited by the fifth promotion (2008-2010). On the field, they were helped by the European working group and many volunteer. This is their first film shot abroad and their first medium-length film but they had already worked together in the school. Each of them had also directed two documentaries about various nature themes.

Bintou is from Burkina Faso and loves to lead a modern lifestyle. She dreams of becoming a famous dressmaker.