"Too black to be French?" screening and Q&A with Isabelle Boni-Claverie

In this documentary film, Isabelle Boni-Claverie explores the role of race and the persistence of racism in France, as well as the impact of the French colonial past. Through an exploration of her personal family history, and interviews with historians and academics, Too black to be French peels back the layers of race relations in supposedly institutionally colorblind France. Boni-Claverie, a French-Ivorian, who grew up in upper class French society, unpacks how socio-economic privilege doesn’t mean protection from racial discrimination. Boni-Claverie solicits anonymous individuals to speak on their daily experiences with race, class, discrimination and micro-aggressions. Too black to be French? also features interviews with acclaimed sociologists and historians including Pap Ndiaye, Eric Fassin, Achille Mbembe, and Patrick Simon to help contextualize racial history in France. Boni-Claverie’s film starts an urgent discussion on French society's inequalities and discrimination.

Isabelle Boni-Claverie also published the book "Too black to be French" in 2017, navigating the complexities of identity, race, and family in a world that constantly questions the author's belonging.

Presented in French with English subtitles

Duration: 52mn followed by a live conversation with Isabelle Boni-Claverie

Isabelle Boni-Claverie is an author, screenwriter, and film director. Born in the Ivory Coast, she grew up in Paris and Switzerland. She studied Modern French Literature and Art History at the Sorbonne, and later joined the Parisian film school La Fémis where she graduated in 2000 with a specialization in screenwriting. At the age of 17, Isabelle Boni-Claverie launched her writing career with the novel, La Grande Dévoreuse (The Great Devourer), which was awarded the Le Prix du Jeune Ecrivain de Langue Française and published in a collective book, Villes d’exil, by Le Monde Editions. Ten years later it was republished in the Ivory Coast by Nouvelles Editions Ivoiriennes (NEI).

While a first year film student, she wrote the screenplay and directed her debut short film, Le Génie d’Abou (Abu’s Genie), which went on to be screened in New York, Montreal, La Havane, Perugia, and many other festivals around the world. In 2004, she directed POUR LA NUIT (For the Night). She was also one of the head writers of Seconde Chance (Second Chance), an International Emmy Award nominated TV series that aired on TF1 in 2008.

Security Rules: Each person attending the event must have a ticket registered in their name and a government-issued ID that matches the name on the reservation to enter the Embassy. No one will be admitted without a reservation and official ID. Due to strict security measures, please arrive on time, as doors will open at 6:30PM. Please allow extra time for security screenings.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

La Maison Française at the Embassy of France, 4101 Reservoir Road nw, Washington, United States