21352: Slavin comments on "The Agronomist" - New York Benefit Premiere (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: JPS390@aol.com

There have been a number of big events for Haiti that have taken place in New York in recent years - the Sacred Art show at Natural History remains the most spectacular -- the Tracy Kidder biography of Paul Farmer, albeit not a New York event, but v.  important nonetheless ---  this week's  benefit screening of Jonathan Demme's "The Agronomist" was right up there. As always, I hope some of its magic dust will reach the shores of Haiti. In a packed Chelsea moviehouse, with a red carpet for the VIPs, and there were many: Meryl Streep, Ed Bradley, Liev Schreiber, Wyclef Jean, and Katherine Dunham, amongst others. Having these people get to see Haiti through Demme's film is a really good thing - Bradley, with his own room at the Oloffson, and Dunham and Jean, are exceptions, but you know what I mean. Followed by a reception at a hip downtown hotel, where Wyclef Jean with his banana-yellow guitar played at a fun and relaxed reception - not an easy achievement to pull off, the entire evening, so the National Coalition for Haitian Rights and Radio Haiti-Inter, which organized the benefit, deserve a lot of recognition for ampil logistic. Mme. Michele Montas graced the evening with her presence, and spoke as eloquently in person as she is portrayed in the movie.
The film itself is quite something -- many of you will see it, if you have not already, but I wanted to make two general comments. The movie led me -- immediately - to want to get involved with the country again -- it captures so much that is good about Haiti: its karma and energy, its humor, its talent, exceptional people, it's heartbreak, incredible stories, the Shakespeare that is so often quoted - Demme quotes Jean Dominique, quoting the bard: "the truth makes the devil blush." Risky business. There are  others points in my notes, including a smart film cameo by the Rev. Jean-Yves Urfie, but a bigger second point is "The Agronomist" is a compilation of two decades of work in the country by Demme and his team -- similar to Jorgen Leth's "Dreamers," the result of more than 20 years of work. To have artists like these with extensive work material to draw upon only means more good and important work is to come -- how lovely compared to the daily journalism we read in such huge portions on Corbettlandia (no offense Bob), which too often has the depth of a boxscore to an endless series of black-on-black violence, which the media so clearly cannot get enough of.
Congratulations to Jonathan Demme and to the film's associate producer, Edwidge Danticat. "The Agronomist" is a heartfelt tribute to Mr. Demme's friend, the late Jean Dominique.
Patrick

------------J.P. SlavinNew York------------