Chanaika

Eleven-year-old Chanaika, who lives with her mother in the colourful Afrikaander quarter of Rotterdam, wants to participate in the annual summer carnival with her best friends. We follow this eloquent young lady during dancing lessons and while trying on outfits for the parade with her pals. Chanaika's life seems cheerful, but she has not had an easy journey. Recently, she personally forced her father out of the house because he hit her mother. "My mother is a mother and a father, so now she plays an even bigger role in my life," she explains. In the voice-over, Chanaika tells how her father verbally and physically abused her. When he grabbed a knife and threatened her mother, the line was crossed. Meanwhile, it is the heart of summer in Rotterdam. The sounds of Radio Stanvaste and swinging soca music turn this city into a Caribbean area. While Chanaika tries to forget the circumstances, new disappointments present themselves: her mother does not have the time to come and watch her daughter, dance class is cancelled and their outfits for the parade are not ready yet. Adults let her down once more. "My head is full of swear words," she says stoically. Chanaika wants to briefly escape the reality of a broken home and an abusive father by participating in the parade of the annual Rotterdam summer carnival. No matter what, she will be on that float. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)