Image still from Ayiti Mon Amour, from the Toronto International Film Festival
On April 28th, I attended a screening of Ayiti Mon Amour by Haitian-born filmmaker Guetty Felin, at BAMPFA, with fellow graduate students Polo Lopez, Sean Hong, and Brett Melliar. There was also a brief lecture and Q&A component.
Ayiti Mon Amour is set five years after the devastating, 2010 earthquake in Haiti. It's fictional and described as "documentary meets magical neorealism." There are three tales surrouding the teenager Orphee (played by Felin's son), the old man, and the muse, all with the theme of connectivity. Most of the fisherman in the film are actually fisherman since Felin wanted to keep a sense of realism intact. Most of the conversations between the fisherman describing the challenges of catching fish are not scripted, either. Felin's goal, however, was to not show a pity film and focus on the negative aspects of post-earthquake Haiti. She wanted to express the beauty of her homeland, "a true Haiti," as she said; I believe she succeeded. The cinematography is gorgeous and the color grading is excellent. In emphasising Felin's desire for portraying connectivity, the film has a global aspect. The teenager Orphee speaks Japanese, which brings to mind Japan's 2011 earthquake and Fukushima disaster. Felin also notes that after Japan's earthquake, the world forgot about Haiti. Haiti was no longer "vogue." There are also multiple languages in the film including French, Creole, Japanese, and English.
Guetty Felin at BAMPFA
Guetty Felin said she got into filmmaking because she's always been a storyteller. Her drive is to tell stories and show visuals that people don't often hear and/or see. Sean Hong asked her an important question about the possibility of goverment influence during her creation of the film. She said there was absolutely none and proudly spoke about the freedom of press in Haiti.
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