Directed by Arnold Antonin • 1973 • Haiti
Often identified as the first Haitian feature film, this landmark documentary chronicles the centuries-long quest of the Haitian people for self-determination. Rooted in a fierce national pride, the film journeys through the defining events of Haiti’s history—from Spanish colonization and the transatlantic slave trade to the Haitian Revolution of 1791 and the founding of the first Black republic to the American occupation and the rise of Jean-Claude Duvalier’s dictatorship—to portray a nation’s struggles and courageous fight for sovereignty.
Up Next in Caribbean Activist Cinema
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The Terror and the Time
Directed by Rupert Roonaraine • 1978 • Guyana
The Terror is British colonialism and Cold War imperialism. The Time is 1953. THE TERROR AND THE TIME tells the story of the Guyanese people’s fight for independence and self-determination, investigating the historical background of neocolonial condi...
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Women of Suriname
Directed by At van Praag • 1978 • Suriname, Netherlands
Through the stories of four women—Jetty, Sonja, Somai, and Sylvie—this incisive documentary explores the impact of Dutch colonialism and neocolonialism on their lives in Suriname, as well as in the Netherlands, where they face further discr...
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Grenada: The Future Coming Towards Us
Directed by Carmen Ashhurst, Samori Marksman, and John Douglas • 1983 • Grenada, United States
GRENADA: THE FUTURE COMING TOWARDS US examines the aims and accomplishments of the Caribbean New Jewel Movement and the reasons for the 1983 US military invasion of Grenada. The film puts these events ...
