Invitation festival Cinéma, Haiti in Harlem

Publié par Elsie HAAS sur 8 Mai 2009, 09:12am

Catégories : #CULTURE

Sunday,
May 3
7:00 pm     Les Illuminations de Madame Nerval
(The Revelations of Madame Nerval)
Dir. Charles Najman, 1999, 55 min.

"The invisible is a mystery", the astonishing Haitian vodou priestess tells us at the start of the film. What follows are the implications, expressed with more than a hint of humor, in terms of society and identity, which reveals the essential, fantastic and concrete link with Africa in this pragmatic and familiar religion. (French and Creole with English subtitles.)

Des Hommes et Des Dieux (Of Men and Gods)
Dirs. Anne Lescot and Lawrence Magloire, 2002, 52 min.

"Of Men And Gods" examines the daily existence of several Haitian men who are openly gay. Prevalent, yet still taboo, homosexuality and gay culture are allowed to flourish within the context of Haiti's Vodou religion. As "children of the gods," the men find an explanation for homosexuality as well as divine protection. They also find an outlet for theatrical expression through exhilarating performances in which they embody the gods. Meanwhile, the AIDS epidemic looms as a continual threat and adds a disquieting degree of nihilism to their relatively optimistic attitudes toward life and happiness in Port-au-Prince. (French and Creole with English subtitles.)

9:00pm
Opening night LIVE PERFORMANCE:
Traditional Vodou music of Haiti with ABOUDJA
Reception to follow performance.

ABOUDJA (Ronald Derencourt), Vodou priest and musician, is coming from Haiti to lead a spectacular performance of Vodou dancing, singing and drumming. ABOUDJA is the Emperor of LAKOU SOUKRI, one of the oldest Vodou centers in Haiti. He is also one of Haiti's most well known drummers. He has been involved in the MIZIK RASIN (Haitian roots music) movement from the beginning. ABOUDJA is the Music Producer of the CD series MIZIK TRADISYONEL AYITI (Traditional Music of Haiti) recorded and produced by Crowing Rooster Arts.

Thursday,
May 7
7:00 pm     Les Rois de la Route (The Kings of the Road)
Dir. Elsie Haas, 1998, 26 min.

A lively documentary about the colorful painted and carved trucks and buses which turn the streets of Port-au-Prince into a moving art gallery unlike any other. Delightful interviews with Tap Tap artists and artisans. (English narration and subtitles.)

La Ronde des Vodu (Voodoo Dance)
Dir. Elsie Haas, 1989, 52 min.

This film documents the significant role of Voodoo in Haitian culture from the perspectives of Voodoo priests, government officials, historians and politicians. Attacked by Western clerics and declared a "superstition" by law in 1935, Voodoo has always been a source of empowerment for the average Haitian. And scholars argue that despite the exploitation, romanticization and vilification of voodoo, it remains an authentic and stabilizing cultural base of everyday Haitian society. (French and Creole with English subtitles.)

Friday,
May 8
7:00 pm     Haiti
Dir. Rudy Burckhardt, 1938, 15 min.

Rudy Burckhardt spent a year and a half living in Haiti. This is his lyrical tribute to the poetic city that was Port-au-Prince.
Music: Eric Satie

Divine Horseman: The Living Gods of Haiti
Dir. Maya Deren, 1953, completed by Tejii Ito, 1981, 52 min.

A journey into the fascinating world of the Vodou religion of Haiti filmed by Maya Deren during 1947-51, and edited posthumously by Teiji and Cheryl Ito. The viewer attends the rituals of Rada, Petro and Congo cults, whose devotees commune with the cosmic powers through invocations-ritual offerings, song and dance. The Vodou pantheon of deities, or loa are introduced as living gods, actually taking possession of their devotees. Also featured are the Rara and Mardi Gras celebrations.
8:30 pm
LIVE PERFORMANCE:
Traditional Vodou music of Haiti with ABOUDJA
Reception to follow performance.

Thursday,
May 14
8:00 pm     Haiti: Dreams of Democracy
Dir. Jonathan Demme (1988) 52 min.

Made shortly after the 1987 overthrow of the Duvalier regime, this film is a platform for Haitian people to express dreams and concerns for the country's future and comment on it's tumultuous present through popular culture. The film's director, Jonathan Demme, is wise to rely upon the strength on Haiti's popular music, dance, religious performance, and radio broadcasts to report on current affairs and political demands, rather than impose a foreign reading of events. As a result, this impressionistic report encapsulates authentic opinions, aspirations, and fashions of this momentous time.

9:00 pm
Carnival Jacmel
Dir. Students of Ciné Institute with Jonathan Stack, 2009, In progress.

This short film is a work in progress made by students at Haiti's new Ciné Institute of Jacmel. It documents the Carnival celebration that takes place every year in Jacmel. This film is one result of an initiative to build and sustain a local film industry in a town famous for its artists and film festival.

9:30 pm
Reception with Students and Teachers from Ciné Institute
Friday,
May 15
8:00 pm     RARA, A Haitian Festival
Dir. Gail Pellet, 1978, 18 min.

This short film provides background on one of Haiti's unique musical forms - Rara. The screening will be followed by a slide talk with the film's producer and ethnomusicologist, Verna Gillis, documenting and discussing her travels in Haiti.
The Other Side of Water
The Journey of a Haitian Rara Band in Brooklyn
Dir. Jeremy Robins & Magali Damas, 2008, 61 min.

This feature documentary follows a group of young immigrants who take an ancient music from the hills of Haiti and reinvent it on the streets of Brooklyn. The journey of this unlikely band offers a unique insight into the Haitian-American experience -- a rare glimpse into a world of music, spirituality, and cultural activism. Part-carnival, part-vodou ceremony, and grassroots protest, "Rara" is one of the most breathtaking and contested forms of music in the Americas. Rara originally served as a voice of the slaves in their revolt against the French, and as the voice of those struggling against ongoing dictatorships in Haiti. This documentary follows the journey of DJARARA - the only sustained rara band in America - through a hidden New York landscape of vodou temples, underground economies, violent politics, and ground-shaking music.
9:30 pm
RARA PERFORMANCE BY DJARARA
Friday night Djarara will celebrate on the streets of Harlem.

Saturday,
May 16
3:00 pm     Family Programming: Matinee

Black Dawn
Dir. Robin Lloyd, 1981, 16 min.

This stop-frame animation presents the history of the Haitian revolution through the vision of Haitian artists. Recommended for all ages, Black Dawn, presents the story of enslavement, uprising, and independence in a visually stunning manner - a true celebration of Haitian arts, folkways and history.
3:30 pm
Haitian Eksperyans
Dir. David Belle, 1996, 25 min.

This film, produced with the Secretary of State for Tourism of Haiti, offers a view of Haiti that is seldom the focus of most documentaries about the country. Haitian Eksperyans celebrates the country's natural beauty, rich cultural traditions and the warmth of its people - reasons so many foreigners develop a love for the country and reason for all in the Haitian diaspora to be proud. For those young and old who may have a distorted view of the country and its people, Haitian Eksperyans offers a beautiful counterpoint to Haiti's harsher realities.
4:00 pm
Carnival Jacmel
Videos and photographs of Carnival on display downstairs with juice and cookies for the little ones.
Thurdsay,
May 21
7:30 pm     Atis-Rezistans: The Sculptors of Grand Rue
Leah Gordon, 2005, 35 min.

Grand Rue is the main avenue that runs north-south through downtown Port-au-Prince. At the avenue's southern end, is a close-knit community with a historical tradition of arts, crafts, music, and religious practice, the members of which draw on the refuse of the nearby car repair district to create powerful sculptural collages.
8:15 pm
Dreamers
Jorgen Leth, 2002, 55 min.

Danish director Jorgen Leth, captures with great integrity the spirituality and other-worldliness of elderly Haitian painters. The film presents the range of Haitian painting in style and subject matter - some are vodou painters, others protestant, some paint historical subjects, others paint imaginary visions, some capture everyday life.
Friday,
May 22
7:00 pm     Art Naif And Repression in Haiti
Dir. Arnold Antonin, 1976, 52 min.

This movie, winner of the jury's special prize in 1976 at the Festival de la Francophonie in New Orleans, denounces the commercial, political and ideological exploitation of naive art by foreign art collectors and the Duvalier dictatorship. It is also a cry for artistic freedom and a call for artists' involvement in the fight for freedom in general.
8:00 pm
Jacques Roumain: La Passion d' Un Pays
Dir. Arnold Antonin, 2008, 114 min.

This feature film presents the work and troubled life of one of the most famous Haitian writers and politicians. It is astonishing to see how the problematic issues he embraced in the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century still threaten Haiti's stability a hundred years later.

moration

Précédent Suivant

Invitation festival Cinéma, Haiti in Harlem

Partager cet article

Vous aimerez aussi :

Commenter cet article