OVER THREE YEARS after the earthquake that ravaged the country, conditions in Haiti remain far from acceptable. Why is this the case, despite billions of dollars in aid and the intervention of everyone from movie stars to former US presidents? This gripping documentary by Haiti’s most acclaimed filmmaker dissects the recovery effort and exposes its inner workings. In the process, it paints a damning picture of a country in thrall to a paternalistic aid system almost as invidious as any dictatorship.
(99mins) | Haiti
Haitian Creole, English, French with English subtitles
Raoul Peck
Raoul Peck is Haiti’s most accomplished director, with over a dozen feature-length films in a career that began in the early 1980s. He has made multiple documentaries, while his narrative films include the critically acclaimed Lumumba (2000) and Moloch Tropical (2009, ttff/10). He is also a former minister of culture in Haiti.