Raoul Peck - Haiti Observer Blog

Raoul Peck (born 1953, Port-au-Prince, Haiti) is a Haitian award winneing filmmaker who fled the Duvalier dictatorship with his two younger brothers and joined his father in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo when he was only 8 years old. Before studying industrial engineering and economics at Berlin's Humboldt University, he attended schools in the DRC (Kinshasa), in the United States (Brooklyn). He earned a baccalaureate in France (Orléans). His recent film 'Fatal Assistance' (Assistance Mortelle) released last year, highlights the colossal aid failure in Haiti's reconstruction. This documentary tries to find out how, in spite of many international community's promises, the needs of ten million Haitians ended in a paltry fashion.

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Fabrique des Cinémas du Monde has eventually unveiled, during Cannes Film Festival, its latest edition's project lineup. The aim of Fabrique des Cinémas du Monde that was launched in 2009, is to find financers who can finance the works of different filmmakers from developing countries. Fabrique is located in Cannes' Cinéma du Monde pavilion and is a result of a joint initiative by Audiovisuel Extérieur de la France and Institut francais.

The project lineup for Fabrique des Cinémas du Monde 2013 include The Sigbin Chronicles by Joanna Arong and The Siren of Faso Fani by Michel K. Zongo. While Joanna's work is hovered around mythical Filipino creature, Zongo's work covers the impacts on a town called Burkina Faso because of the closure of its textile factory.

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Here is the documentary that you have heard so much about. Assistance Mortelle or Fatal Assistance in English was realized by Hatian filmmaker Raoul Peck. It is an exposé that provides a look at the response of the international community following the January 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti. This film that made its World Premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival in February, has a duration of 1:45 minutes.

Se dokimantè ou te tande anpil pale sou li. "Asistans Mortelle" te reyalize pa Hatian sineast Raoul Peck. Se yon ekspoze ki bay yon gade sou tranbleman tè 12 janvye 2010 an Ayiti.

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Haitian Raoul Peck, documentarian and feature-filmmaker, began life in Port-au-Prince in 1953. A few years later, François Duvalier's reign began, creating fear in Haitians and causing many to leave and reside elsewhere. Peck's family moved to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) where they lived for the next quarter-century. Peck studied in the DRC and the U.S., his interests drawing him to journalism and photography, but he earned his film degree in Berlin.

As documentarian, Raoul Peck produced and directed before entering feature filmmaking. He achieved early success with 1993's "The Man by the Shore", which became an official entry at Cannes that year. Then Peck received unprecedented global recognition for his film "Lumumba" in 2000. His subsequent film, "Lumumba--Death of a Prophet", grabbed Best Documentary award at Montréal in 2002. He has also received many awards for directing attention to human-rights abuses in his film work. Human Rights Watch bestowed two Lifetime Achievement Awards on him in 2001 and 2003.

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Jeux dangereux or Dangerous Game and Le chauffeur or Driver, are the two Haitian films that were officially selected (category Diaspora) for 23rd Pan-African Film & TV Festival of Ouagadougou (aka FESPACO or Festival panafricain du cinéma et de la télévision de Ouagadougou), 2013 that was held during 23rd February till 2nd March 2013 in Burkina Faso of West Africa. Antoine Boseny directed Jeux dangereux while Le chauffeur's director was Jean-Claude Bourjolly.

The finalists for category Diaspora were selected by the jury members Carlos Aguilar from Panama, Asha Lovelace of Trinidad & Tobago, Tanya Valette from Dominican Republic, Beti Ellerson from United States of America and Arnold Antonin from Haiti. Arnold Antonin is himself a filmmaker who won three Prix Paul Robeson of Best Film award at African Diaspora FESPACO in the years 2007, 2009 and 2011.

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Toussaint L'Ouverture, modern Haiti's liberator, joined the slave revolt on the island--known then as Saint Domingue--in 1788. A freed slave, who had acquired a fortune, he fought alongside Jean-Jacques Dessalines, Haiti's first president.

Produced by Raoul Peck, the "Toussaint L'Ouverture" film project languished for several years in Hollywood. It finally received the needed funding from Hollywood Unites for Haiti Foundation and was green-lighted. The two-part, three-hour film previewed at Cuba Cinemathique in April 2012. Prior to the screening, the French production was broadcast on French television, where it drew an audience of 3 million.

On the strength of positive reviews, the Embassy of the Republic of Haiti to Cuba and Traveling Caribbean Film submitted it to international film festivals. "Toussaint L'Ouverture" was nominated in several categories in Montréal, Monte Carlos, and Washington, winning The Black Reel Award for Outstanding Foreign Film. It won Best Actor and the Audience Award at the Pan American Film and Arts Festival, and a Best Actor award at the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival. It also captured Best Diaspora Feature at the Africa Movie Academy Awards.

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