Raoul Peck and Toussaint L'Ouverture, a Film-Festival Favorite

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.

ADVERTISEMENT


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.

Jimmy Jean-Louis, the strikingly handsome Haitian actor, played Toussaint L'Ouverture as if his career depended on it. Interviewed by an online publication, Jean-Louis was asked if he felt any qualms portraying L'Ouverture. He characterized the experience as one of great anticipation, accompanied by acting nerves and rising to critic and audience expectation. He summed up by saying, ". . . you're playing the man who liberated the first black republic. That itself speaks loudly."

Reply to this article

Read more: Toussaint L'Overture, Movies, film, Jimmy Jean-Louis, movie, Raoul Peck, Entertainment

Main | Two Haitian Films Selected For the 23rd Edition of the FESPACO »

Return to Articles List

Leave a Reply

Name (required)

E-mail (required, will not be published)

Subject: Raoul Peck and Toussaint L'Ouverture, a Film-Festival Favorite edit

» »

Our objective is to share with you news and information about Haiti and the people of Haiti. Traditions, habits and the way we were  or  grew are alive in this site. We highly recommend that you Subscribe to our Newsletter and also share with us some of the things that are memorable and made us unique people.