Rémy Hnaije is the first Kanak mime in history. This film is his portrait. That of an artist who left his archipelago for France. In Montreuil, during the year of obtaining his diploma in Dramatic Mime, in the regions or on his island of Lifou, meeting with a man who made his body a vector of speech, speech in movement, a word of transmission, for a more open world.
Originally from New Caledonia, Rémy, 40, is a man who is both modern and very anchored in his Kanak culture. In 2019, he left his archipelago to study at the International School of Dramatic Body Mime in Montreuil. Studying the movement through a diploma course is for him a way of taking revenge on life. He, the self-taught child, the will-o’-the-wisp of his clan, who always stayed away from school. An artist with many hats (slammer, dancer, storyteller, mime…), his interest in body gestures and movement comes from his curiosity and his questioning about “the sacred”. How to perform by combining ancestral dance and modernity, without desecrating the essence of one’s cultural heritage? Rémy describes himself as an “oratorical performer”. Like many islanders, he succumbed to the call of travel, but adapting to France is not always easy.
In his third year, Rémy is about to graduate. He will then become the first Kanak mime in history. This training constitutes a major turning point in his way of approaching the world. First, by the rigor of the work it requires. Learn to master the body, constantly searching for its limits, and broaden your range of emotions, in order to nourish your performance and flesh out your dramatic “self”. School is also a place for Rémy to meet people and make new friendships. The students, most of whom come from abroad (Honduras, United States, England, Canada, etc.), rub shoulders in an atmosphere reminiscent of theater troupes. Whether it is his teacher, the mime master Ivan Bacciocchi, or his classmates, everyone counts a lot today, and contributes to his opening to the world, to others.
Alongside his lessons, the man is not idle. He performs solo and group shows with his character “TrotroYmeResh”. In each of his creations, the artist enjoys mixing ancestral culture and Western influences. From the Hall of Song to the Cité Internationale des Arts, he takes advantage of meetings and opportunities: the opportunity for him to expand his universe and share his culture with as many people as possible.
An outstanding creator, Rémy is sometimes torn by doubt. Lack of self-confidence, too much humility and homesickness can lead to a sort of melancholy. After returning to Nouméa, where he meets his friends, he joins Lifou for a final trip to his tribe. For him, returning to this environment where he grew up, with its beaches, its forest, this very particular rhythm, seems like a soothing return to his sources, a bit as if these last years away from home were finally taking on meaning. He sees the members of his clan again, who welcome him with smiles and kind looks. Rémy understands that he has everyone’s support. He goes to the small school in his village to meet the children and chat with their teacher. An impromptu show is put on. The transmission is on its way. A true smuggler, Rémy lives for his moments of sharing, love and respect. And as he says, in itself, Isn’t that the main thing?
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