Documentarian Joseph Hillel, from Haiti and Montreales, offers us a striking look at a troop of artists from Port-au-Prince.
In a country ravaged by natural disasters and violence, what can art serve? This is the question posed by director Joseph Hillel, who specializes in films on art.
He began in 2023, with the meeting of a troop which prepares the next edition of the Four Path Festival under the direction of Guy Régis, Jr., behind thick metal grids of a residence. Because Port-au-Prince is delivered to violence, the gangs make the law (we hear the shots) and it may seem, in such a volatile context, derisory to focus on poetry, music or theater.
Photo provided by four films
And yet. The look of the creative process, its emergency, its necessity even in front of chaos is accurately that is not forgotten. The subject, relayed by artists such as Nehemiah Bastien, Erthon Edmond, Nathania Péricles, Schneiderson René, Staloff Tropfort, Youyou as well as the writer Frankétienne, died last February, never loses his strength, whether historical, political or artistic.
Scenes shot in the Montreal region (very precisely in Laval) also remind us of the difficult choice of exile. Through this dive into the past and the present of Haiti, we also wonder about his future and through the words spoken, about our future to all.
Corner is a strong work, which pushes for reflection, and which is aware of the absolute necessity of creation in troubled times … an observation that can be made, even outside Haiti.
Note: 3.5 out of 5
Corner is presented in the room from May 2.
