Leaving Amerika

“One morning, my friend Derrick calls to tell me he wants to leave the United States. He has just moved out of his apartment and is sleeping in his car. At nearly fifty years old, he is still struggling through the nightmarish labyrinth of an ultra-liberal and racist America, searching for a way out.” Marie-Pierre Brêtas

Born out of a nearly thirty-year friendship between the director and Derrick Johnson, this film chronicles the journey of a man attempting to leave a country where he no longer feels at home, confronted by the racism and social violence of the system. The camera closely follows this movement, both geographical and internal. Along the way, the profound drive of a man seeking to regain control of his life and imagine a new beginning takes shape.

The screening, presented as part of FIFEQ-Montréal’s 22nd edition, will be followed by a discussion with director Marie-Pierre Brêtas.