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CinémaTuesdays
World Nomads Haiti
May 5, 12, 19, and 26, 2009
Part of World Nomads: Haiti

Co-curated by Ciné Institute founder David Belle, and in collaboration with acclaimed director Jonathan Demme, FIAF presents, in partnership with the Maysles Institute, a month-long series on Haitian film—one of the most exciting and dynamic national cinemas.

The Agronomist
Jean Dominique l’Agronomiste
Tuesday, May 5, 2009 at 12:30 & 4pm

Jonathan Demme, 2004. Color. 90 min. In English.
With Jean Dominique, Michèle Montas, Aboudja,
Ronald Reagan

In capturing the story of Jean Dominique—a broadcaster who ran Haiti’s first independent radio station—Academy Award-winning director Jonathan Demme has also created an essential account of Haitian history. Years in the making, The Agronomist is an impassioned triumph.

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Meet the Director:
Jonathan Demme
and Michèle Montas present
The Agronomist
Tuesday, May 5, 2009 at 7pm

FIAF proudly presents Academy Award-winning American director Jonathan Demme and journalist Michèle Montas, the current spokersperson for the UN Secretary General, and their acclaimed collaboration, The Agronomist.

Mr. Demme will introduce the documentary and will participate in a Q&A session with Michèle Montas before the screening.

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The Man by the Shore
L’homme sur les quais
Tuesday, May 12, 2009 at 12:30, 4 & 7pm

Raoul Peck, 1993. Color. 105 min.
In Creole and French with English subtitles.
With Jennifer Zubar, Toto Bissainthe, Jean-Michel Martial,
Patrick Rameau

Eight-year-old Sarah, surrounded by violence and corruption, takes refuge in her own imagination and fantasies. Yet reality is quick to cut her reveries short in cruel, unforgiving ways. A landmark film for Haiti that gained great exposure worldwide.

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Double Screenings
Mrs. Little Bones
Madame Ti Zo
Tuesday, May 19, 2009 at 12:30 & 4pm

David Belle, 2006. Color. 65 min.
In Creole and English with English subtitles.
With Madeleine Desrosiers

A mesmerizing documentary about a vivacious Haitian elder who runs a crude rural health clinic from her thatched roof hut, and the peasants who seek treatment from her with no other choice.

Miss Body Plastik 
Tuesday, May 19, 2009 at 12:30pm

Louis Ebby Angel, 2008. Color. 28 min.
In Creole with English subtitles.
With Darline Mentor, Widlande Edmé, Bayard Jean Bernard,
Alain Pierre

Dezilia is a twenty-something impoverished young woman who wants to show her beauty and dreams of cleaning her country, overrun by plastic waste. A revealing tale that addresses how the perception of ourselves and country are inextricably linked.

Anita
Tuesday, May 19, 2009 at 4pm

Rassoul Labuchin, 1981. B&W. 45 min.
In Creole and French with English subtitles.

Young Anita’s life consists of working as a servant to a wealthy family, leaving her little time for anything else. Her servitude (which some would call slavery) provides an insight into a frighteningly common experience for children in Haiti.

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Meet the Directors:
David Belle and Louis Ebby Angel
present Mrs. Little Bones
and Miss Body Plastik
Tuesday, May 19, 2009 at 7pm

At this special edition of Meet the Director, David Belle, co-founder of Haiti’s Jakmèl Film Festival, presents his own film, Mrs. Little Bones, alongside Miss Body Plastik by up-and-coming Haitian filmmaker Louis Ebby Angel.

Please join us for a special fundraiser for Ciné Institute after the screening. Info and registration at www.cineinstitute.com

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U.S. Premiere
Jonathan Demme
presents Haïti Chérie
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
12:30pm: Film only
4pm: Film followed by Q&A with Jonathan Demme

Claudio del Punta, 2008. Color. 104 min.
In Creole and Spanish with English subtitles.
With Yeraini Cuevas, Valentin Valdez,
Jean-Marie Guérin, Juan Carlos Campos

A major new film, Haïti Chérie chronicles a Haitian couple’s harrowing return from slave-like plantations in the Dominican Republic to their home country. The film is at once a riveting narrative and a damning political exposé.

The 4pm screening will be followed by a Q&A session with Academy Award-winning director Jonathan Demme.

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Double Screening

Meet the Directors
Michelange Quay
and Jonathan Demme
present The Gospel of the Creole Pig
and Eat, for this is My Body
Tuesday, May 26, 2009 at 7pm

A leading figure in contemporary Haitian filmmaking, Michelange Quay brings two of his films to FIAF to conclude the 2009 edition of World Nomads Haiti. Michelange Quay will introduce both works and will participate in a Q&A session with Jonathan Demme following the screenings.

The Gospel of the Creole Pig
L’évangile du cochon Créole

Michelange Quay, 2004. Color. 19 min.
In French with English subtitles
With Dominique Batraville, Georges Quay, Mireille Quay

The Gospel of the Creole Pig is full of rich, startling imagery that explores its central allegory of the pig. The film’s ruminations on the animal’s treatment, its wisdom, and its natural instinct all resonate for modern Haitians.

Eat, for this is My Body
Mange, ceci est mon corps

Michelange Quay, 2008. Color. 105 min.
In French with English subtitles
With Sylvie Testud, Catherine Samie, Hans Dacosta Saint-Val

Rarely do debut features come along that are as assured as this meditation on colonialism and the evolving ethnic tension in Haiti. Themes of death, subordination, and revolt are all rendered through poetic images that feel refreshingly unique.

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Venue
Florence Gould Hall
55 East 59th Street

Ticket Prices
FIAF Members Free** ($2 advance tickets)
Non-Members $10
Students w/ ID $7
**Free tickets are distributed on the day of the event.
Present your membership card at the box office.

Special Offer
Present your ticket and receive a 15% discount on your bill at Bistro 60 (37 E 60 St). Valid only on date printed on ticket.

World Nomads Haiti is curated by David Belle, director and founder of Ciné Institute, and Marie Losier, Film Curator at FIAF

World Nomads Haiti is generously supported by American Airlines, the official airline of FIAF; Afrique & Caraïbes en créations; and Organisation internationale de la francophonie.

CinemaTuesdays: World Nomads Haiti is presented in partnership with Ciné Institute. Ciné Institute is Haiti’s only film school. Based on the southern coast in the town of Jacmel, Ciné Institute provides Haitian youth with film education, training, and production support while actively promoting Haiti’s national cinema abroad. Ciné Institute began as Festival Film Jakmèl, an annual celebration that screened hundreds of films from around the world free of charge to local audiences.

Series co-presented with The Maysles Institute.

Special thanks to the Cultural Services of the French Embassy and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, David Belle, Ciné Institute, the Maysles Institute, Raoul Peck, Oriane Ruzibiza, Jonathan Demme, Michèle Montas, Harper Dill, Michelange Quay, Claudio Del Punta, and Louis Ebby Angel.

Cinéma at FIAF is made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State agency

The FIAF Spring 2009 Season is made possible by support from American Airlines, the official airline of FIAF; the Cultural Services of the French Embassy; Florence Gould Foundation; and the Herbert J. Seligmann Charitable Trust

Photo Credits:
Top Image, The Man by the Shore / Courtesy of Raoul Peck
Jean Dominique / Courtesy of Photofest
The Man by the Shore / Courtesy of Raoul Peck
Madame Ti Zo / Courtesy of David Belle
Haïti Chérie / Courtesy of Claudio del Punta
The Gospel of the Creole Pig / Courtesy of Michelange Quay