11th Annual Haitian Film Series, curated by Jacques Pierre, Haitian Creole and Creole Studies
Friday, November 4
Breaking Leaves
Dir. Karen Kramer, 2000, 30 min.
In the Haitian countryside, where people have little access to doctors, hospitals, or conventional medicine, peasants have learned to use local leaves, herbs, and therapeutic massage as a way of curing simple ailments. This video follows several men and women as they take us into the bush to look for leaves that they need for healing. We then follow then home where they explain and demonstrate their way of preparing the poultice or infusion. Narrated by the people themselves –and with beautiful songs about the importance of leaves woven throughout – this poetic film gives unique insight into the culture.
Friday, November 11
Healing a Nation
Dir. Jean-René Rinvil, 2020, 65 min. Followed by Q&A with the filmmaker
Healing A Nation ("Twoub Mantal") tells the painful story of Richard Saintal, a former social worker from the Cité Soleil a region of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, who suffered what appeared to have been a traumatic psychotic break. Richard’s preventable death while in residential treatment at a psychiatric hospital in Haiti was an outrage. The documentary depicts the unfortunate and common narrative of the experiences of numerous individuals with mental disorders who seek help but often fail to receive the care that they need and deserve from the existing mental health system in Haiti.
Friday, November 18
La source (Lasous)
Dir. Patrick Shen, 2012, 71 min.
La source tells the uplifting story of Josué Lajeunesse, a Haitian Princeton janitor who returns to his country after the devastating 2010 earthquake to revive his lifelong dream to bring what is most fundamental to his village survival: clean water.
Friday, December 2
Haiti is a Nation of Artists
Dir. Jacquil Constant, 2022, 50 min. Followed by Q&A with the filmmaker
Haiti is a Nation of Artists tells the story of Haitian artists creating transformational art after the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010. The documentary depicts the humanity of Haitian culture through the lens of a Haitian American filmmaker who seeks to uplift the rich diversity of Haiti and its historical legacy.
