St Barth Film Festival Highlights Haiti
The 15th edition of the St Barth Film Festival will be held April 24-30. This year, the films chosen will mostly be works from Haiti. According to festival founders Joshua Harrison and Ellen Lampert-Gréaux, a primary goal of the film festival has always been to present the reality of life in the Caribbean. How more fitting could it be that this year's focus is on Haiti? As usual, this year's lineup looks to be a fascinating view of the Caribbean. All the films are in their original language, with subtitles in French. For more information, visit the film festival's website.
Saturday, April 24, 8:00 pm, A.J.O.E., Lorient
El Benny by Jorge Luis Sánchez, presented by producer Iohamil Navarro
126 minutes, Cuba, 2006
El Benny portrays the life of Benny More, who captured the big-band Afro-Cuban sound of the 1950s.
Sunday, April 25, 8:00 pm, A.J.O.E., Lorient Les 16 de Basse-Pointe by Camille Mauduech, presented by the director 108 minutes, Martinique, 2009 On September 6, 1948, Guy de Fabrique, the white Creole administrator of a sugar estate in Martinique was killed by 36 machete blows. After three years, 16 black sugar cane workers from Basse-Pointe were charged with the crime and brought to trial. This documentary traces the events that constituted an indictment of the colonial system in Martinique.90 minutes, VenezuelaMonday, April 26--A Haitian Evening--5:00 pm, La Capitainerie, Gustavia
Chronique d'une Catastrophe Annoncée by Arnold Antonin, presented by Moise Camille
This 20-minute video captures the before and the after of the 7.3 earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12, 2010.
Chimen Pasyan by Moise Camille
Short films from the students at the Ciné Institute de Jacmel in Haiti, which was partially destroyed by the earthquake. Presented by Frero Pierre and Claudel Chery
Tuesday, April 27, 8:00 pm, Flamands beach Rose Murray: Portrait of a Photographer by Alex Bendahan
14 minutes, USA
This short film provides a look at Kingston, Jamaica in the 1970s through the eyes of Rose Murray, a self-made photographer.
Araya by Margot Benacerraf, presented by the director
Araya is a peninsula in the Caribbean in northern Venezuela where the people depend entirely on the salt and fish from the sea. This film takes place over 24 hours in Araya, 24 hours in the lives of the salt workers on this barren peninsula.
Wednesday, April 28, Round Table, 4:00 pm, La Capitainerie, Gustavia
Haiti: Looking Forward
A tribute to Haitian film and culture featuring film makers from Haiti
Wednesday, April 28, 8:00 pm, A.J.O.E., Lorient
Moloch Tropical by Raoul Peck, presented by the lead actress, Mireille MĂ©tellus
107 minutes, Haiti/France, 2009
In a fortress, surrounded by his inner circle, a democratically elected president prepares himself for a state ceremony. However, on day of the ceremony, the president finds his country in turmoil. The whole nation is in the grips of a riot that has broken out overnight and, one after another, the foreign guests are obliged to bow out of the ceremony.
Thursday, April 29, 8:00 pm, A.J.O.E., Lorient
Orpailleur/ Garimpeiro, The Gold Forest by Marc Barrat, presented by the director
90 minutes, France, 2009
Rod decides to return to his native country,Guiana, along with his childhood friend Gonz. In Cayenne, they begin to investigate Rod's past, which leads them r into the heart of the virgin forest and the camps of illegal gold prospectors.
Friday, April 30, 8:00 pm, Flamands beach
Jab by Alex de Verteuil, presented by the director
46 minutes, Trinidad and Tobago, 2008
This 68-year-old documentary filmmaker from Trinidad has been producing work dealing with local issues for the past 25 years. He documents local cultural and environmental themes with the desire to educate and inform the people of his island.
Calypso At Dirty Jim's by Pascale Obolo, presented by the producer Jean-Michel Gibert
85 minutes, Trinidad and Tobago, 2009
Dirty Jim's was once a legendary post-war club opened by an American soldier in an old rum distillery located in Port of Spain, the capital of Trinidad. Dirty Jim's was the first club in Trinidad frequented by both black and white people. Filmed around the Carnival ceremonies, this musical documentary is a sensitive and original evocation of the Golden Age of Calypso.
