Toni Morrison and the Ghosts of America

Literary documentary combining archives and animation — 52 min — 2020

The first Black woman to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, Toni Morrison devoted her work to bringing America’s buried memories back to the surface. Through her novel Beloved, the film explores the ghosts of slavery, wounds passed down from generation to generation, and the power of literature against oblivion.

I took part in animating the documentary’s graphic sequences. Drawing makes it possible to evoke the memories, absences and inner images that run through Toni Morrison’s literary world.

Directed by: Claire Laborey
Graphic design and direction of the animated sequences: Anaïs Caura
Production: Roche Productions
Co-production and broadcast: ARTE France, Toute l’Histoire and RSI
Year: 2020