SET LAM  – Vincent Fontano  (France, 2022) 20′

“SACEM Award” at Clermont-Ferrand 2023

In an insular city’s ghetto, in the midst of a trance ritual, a young girl is paralysed by fear. She is afraid her loved ones may be hurt or even disappear. It is then that her grandmother tells her the strange tale of Edwardo, the first one of his kin to have seen and fought death. The child is captivated, feeling that there is a reason her grandmother is recounting this tale.

Director – Vincent Fontano

As a student of the Réunion conservatory in 2009 he holds an atypical course through the literary creation scene on the island. An avid reader of James Baldwin, Dany Laferrière and Tony Morrison, and writer and stage director for the Ker Béton company, he invites the audience to reflect on Reunion island society and the world in general.

In 2013 he changes medium and pivots to cinema with his short film « Blaké » which he writes, directs and stars in. The film gets noticed and earns the France Télévision prize and the SACD prize.
Following this first success he directs his second short film, « Sèt Lam », in 2021. In this modern allegory, deeply anchored in Réunion culture, he touches on spirituality, heritage and the strong link with our ancestors, all narrated by a grandmother, the powerful and matriarcal face of a society built around orality.