Academy Award®
winning director Jonathan Demme provides a look at the volatile
history of Haiti through a personal portrait of Haitian journalist
Jean Dominique. Trained as an agronomist, his heart remained close
to the agricultural majority of his home country. As director of
Haiti’s Ciné Club, he focused on how film could reflect
the lives of the average Haitian and is credited with making one
of the first documentaries in Haiti.
Jean Dominique’s real claim to fame was as a
radio broadcaster. After working as a journalist at Radio Haiti
Inter, he purchased on the lease on the radio station in 1968. He
continued as a broadcaster, speaking freely about controversial
social and political issues in the midst of military regime rule.
Most significantly, he began broadcasting in Haitian Creole, the
language of the majority of the citizens for the first time giving
them access to news and giving them a voice in the county’s
political discourse.
He and his wife Michèle Montas continued their
work despite being threatened, shot at, shut down, and forced into
exile. He became a vital player in Haitian politics until his murder
in 2000. By focusing on Dominique, Demme provides a personal face
to Haiti’s fight for freedom and democracy and the role of
the United States in Haitian politics. A score by Wyclef Jean and
Jerry “Wonder” Duplessis add to the authenticity to
allow the audience entrée into the country’s history
in a way that is more than just a timeline of events.
-- Dan Krovich
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