Vincent Quénault

The Safe House

An eccentric family portrait set during the May 1968 protests in Paris. A nine-year-old boy stays with his grandparents and uncles while his parents protest. When an illustrious guest seeks refuge in the apartment, the family’s dynamics change.

Sujip

Aleksandras, a man in his 30s, starts his first day at his new workplace. What appears to be a mundane office space reveals to be a suicide helpline center. One day the phone rings and Pijus, a man of the same age, calls to share his desire to take his life. Although their interaction begins on an awkward note, it gradually transforms into a moving exchange between two men who slowly realize their interconnected destinies.

Jahia’s Summer

When Mila arrives at the asylum center, Jahia's life changes dramatically. Jahia has previously kept to herself, spending her evenings in the kitchen where she cooks for her mother, who is haunted by memories of their escape from Burkina Faso. Alongside a stern directive that she must go to school, a new girl appears at the center. Mila's forced but genuine optimism breaks through Jahia's barrier, but the wait for the life-altering asylum decision remains terrifying. And one day, Mila and her family receive their verdict. In this deeply unsettling but still hopeful drama, we follow two vulnerable friends who try to navigate an unstable and artificial everyday life, where life has an expiration date. Or a new beginning.

Black Tea

Aya, a young Ivorian woman in her early thirties, says no on her wedding day, to everyone’s astonishment. After emigrating to Asia, she works in a tea export shop with Cai, a 45-year-old Chinese man. Aya and Cai fall in love but can their affair survive the turmoil of their past and other people’s prejudices?

Lost Country

Belgrade, 1996. During the student demonstrations against the Milosevic regime, 15-year-old Stefan leads his own revolution in the heat of events: accepting the unacceptable, seeing his mother as an accomplice in the crime and finding, despite the love he feels for her, the strength to confront her.

Maret

After losing part of her memory, Maret, 44, sets out to find out who she used to be. She learns about the many different life paths she followed, in none of which anything was ever really achieved. A profoundly unhappy person in a never-ending, headlong rush. A doctor on the island of Lanzarote offers to put this restlessness to an end through brain surgery. A promise of peace and satisfaction. Will Maret proceed with the surgery that would take away part of her being - or not?