Indochina: Children Gathering Coins Scattered by Western Women

synopsis

Two European women scatter small coins in front of a pagoda, while a group of children scramble to collect them as quickly as possible. What appears to be a carefree scene is unsettling today because of the inequality between those observing and those being observed. Here, the camera preserves not only the event itself but also the power relations of colonial society.

biography

Gabriel Veyre (1871–1936), a French pharmacist, photographer and cinematographer for the Lumière company, filmed in Mexico, the Caribbean, Japan, China and French Indochina. His films combine travelogue observation with staged scenes, while also revealing how early cinema shaped the European view of the world.

film details

director:

Gabriel Veyre