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Americas: Part 4

"Mirrors of the Heart" This program explores shifting ethnic and racial definitions in the region, looking at Bolivia, a nation with a rich Indian tradition, and Hispaniola, an island divided between two nations --Haiti and the Dominican Republic-- with different cultural heritages and attitudes toward their African roots.

Bolivia, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Indigenous Peoples, Latin America, Social Issues

Face De L’ombre, La (The Face Of The Shadow)

Milka has known Alexis since they were children, and loved him for as long as she can remember. When Alexis falls in love with and decides to marry another woman, Milka makes a deal with a mysterious stranger with unusual power in an attempt to win him back.

Cinema/Theater, Haiti

Face De L’Ombre, La /The Face Of The Shadow

Cinema/Theater, Haiti

Les Amours d’un Zombi

All the country is suddenly tuned into what seems to be a soap opera: a zombie who has just escaped tells the press about the love that he feels for a woman. A female reporter follows closely the story. We discover through her report how a group of politicians have decided to exploit the zombie's popularity. They propel him as a presidential candidate. But they do so without thinking about the ambitions of Baron Samedi, the lord of the cemeteries, with his weapons of mass seduction.

Haiti, Uncategorized

Ma Femme Et Le Voisin / My Wife and The Neighbor

A playful comedy about infidelity and jealously set among members of the urban middle class. Gerard is a young attractive gynecologist who takes advantage of his profession to seduce the women of the neighborhood. His escapades set off a tragic chain of events as one woman's husband confronts the possibility that his wife has been unfaithful.

Comedy, Gender/Sexuality, Haiti

Poto Mitan: Haitian Women, Pillars Of The Global Economy

An exploration of the effects of globalization and neo-liberal policies in Haiti as reflected in the lives and daily struggles of five Haitian women living in Port-Au-Prince. These women tell compelling stories about their experiences working in factories producing items for export for wages that are far from sufficient to meet the cost of living, highlighting the ways in which Haiti has come to serve as a reserve pool of cheap labor for the global marketplace. The film explores themes such as the contraction of the agricultural sector and increased urbanization spawned by neo-liberal policies, the lack of basic services such as healthcare and education, and the gendered dimensions of the violence spawned by widespread poverty in Port-Au-Prince.

Economics/Development, Haiti, Social Issues, Women's Studies

When The Drum Is Beating

This documentary explores the music of the famous Haitian orchestra “Septentrional” along with the violent history of Haiti. Through Septentrional’s powerful musical pieces, accompanied with brutal scenes, viewers are taken on a graphic journey through Haiti’s culture and history; from French colonialism and bloody revolutions to natural disasters and foreign debt while Septentrional’s beautiful sounds of Haitian voodoo beats and Cuban big band serve as a backdrop. This film contains graphic images.

Colonial, Haiti, History, Music/Dance, Politics/Human Rights, Religion, Social Issues, Social Life and Customs, Social Movements/Resistance, USA