25699: Minsky: (report from the field) Peck arrives at Film Festival Jakmel 2005 (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: "tminsky@ix.netcom.com" <tminsky@ix.netcom.com>

there are flights now in Haiti that connect PAP with all the major cities...
Tortuga Air.


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Subject: Peck returns to Haiti

Raoul Peck Returns to Haiti--As a Filmmaker

He's been back as Diaspora and even as a Minister. He's helped create a
cultural
foundation in Port-au-Prince.  This time,
on July 13, he's returned as the filmmaker that he is, invited by the
home-grown but by
no means backwoods Film Festival Jakmel 2005.

Raoul Peck arrived by puddle jumper commuter flight from Port-au-Prince via
Paris
and Guadeloupe and went straight to the Acropolys
screening venue, a former theatre long dormant. The overflow crowd was
watching
his recent HBO film "Sometimes in April."  Dozens of disappointed were
turned away
at the door, there just wasn't  enough seating.  Following the 140 minute
film, Peck
fielded questions from the enthusiastic viewers for more than one hour.

The opening question asked pointedly, "Was it your experience with Haiti
that
motivated you to do the Rwanda film?"  He answered, "Haiti is with me in
all the films I
do."
HBO had approached Peck to make the film.

Details on the Rwanda genocide and the factors that lead to such horrors,
how the
film project came about,   story development and other practical film
questions were
posed to the filmmaker in the post-screening. HBO provided him the budget
and didn't
interfere with the process. Scenes were subject to review and discussion.
Sometimes
revision followed in an interactive process.

Many of Peck's earlier films are Haitian themed including three
documentaries.  His
last two films are historically-based feature films. Lumumba is about the
overthrow of
Patrice Lumumba in the Belgium Congo and enjoyed international popularity.
It
added to the world awareness of the complicity of Belgium which
subsequently
apologized to the Congo.


An additional screening of "Sometimes in April" has been added to the Film
Festival
schedule due to the overwhelming response.Peck will also lead an atelier
workshop
on Friday, "Le Cinema d'Auteur". His presence provides great support to
this year's
Festival which is being held while the country is in the direst straits.

 Three screenings a venue per day at three locations
are enjoying full houses in every screening. All screening are free of
charge.
The Festival ends with Favela Rising on July 16.

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