Pascale Appora-Gnekindy, a Central African filmmaker, was awarded a $5,000 grant for her project Eat Bitter

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Eat Bitter is a character-driven documentary set in Central African Republic (CAR). Although the country is one of the poorest nations in the world, it has lately been attracting significant foreign investment, with the capital city of Bangui experiencing a construction boom. As in other African countries, skilled migrants from China drive this modernization.

Behind this so-called progress and new openness is a less glowing reality. Workers sacrifice their dignity, abuse their bodies, and spoil the environment to extract sand, an essential construction material. Through the parallel and crossed stories of Chinese immigrants and Central Africans, Eat Bitter captures the journey of two communities, cultures and men who are diametrically opposed. But they learn to work together with the same goal in mind: to build a bank, a symbol of power and money.

Our characters don’t hesitate to strip the earth and destroy their family lives for a seat at the table of prosperity. This documentary tells the story of my country and humanity in general, the age-old dilemma between modernity and tradition.