Ana, en passant

Ana, a third-generation Afro-Brazilian in Paris, must navigate the aftermath of her grandmother’s death. Guided by fragmented clues, Ana journeys to Belo Horizonte, Brazil, where she unexpectedly encounters Alice—a woman who appears to be her exact double, living in her late grandmother’s apartment. What follows is a contemplative narrative interweaving themes of memory, heritage, and colonial history through the day to day lives of these two women who have no idea how they’re connected. Ana tries to familiarize herself with her place of familial origin, while Alice prepares for motherhood.

Using the French chess rule “en passant” as a thematic anchor, Brazilian director Fernanda Salgado crafts an evocative feature debut. Blending 2D hand-drawn animation, rotoscopy, collage, and stop-motion, the film moves between continents to map the invisible threads of lineage, displacement, and self-recognition. Ana, en passant operates as a visually textured, philosophical meditation on mourning, identity, and the choices that shape our alternate lives.