The Spaces Between Grassroots Documentary ... - Ezra Winton

journalist still stationed in Haiti, and after having his life threatened several times, and
documenting the atrocities being committed on the ground, he flew to Montreal,
smuggling the film with him. At Concordia, about 500 people had arrived, the vast
majority of whom were from the Haitian community in Montreal – a community deeply
divided along political lines concerning the government of Haiti and the international
intervention in the country. Pina’s film screened, a brutally graphic film portraying grisly
violence against citizens of the country and conveying the deepest emotions from
subjects in the documentary. During the screening many members of the audience were
heard loudly wailing, which is customary in Haitian culture, expressing sorrow and
solidarity for the members of their community depicted in the film. After the screening
the room erupted into debate and discussion, in French, Creole and English, with the
many, diverse opinions of the community articulated emotionally in a space where they
clearly felt comfortable and encouraged to do so. The film had acted like a platform from
which the discussion sprung forth, and Pina at one point “stepped back” while members
of the audience stood up in their seats and addressed one another. It was an emotionally
charged evening, one that shocked some non-Haitians (as told to me in confidence by
some audience members) but ultimately bridged understanding between the different
factions of the Haitian community in Montreal, and non-Haitian audience members. It
was participatory, plural, and a rupture within a (largely removed) community that
reconnected with the community members from their homeland, as depicted on screen.
Cinema Politica, as grassroots d/e spaces and practices, provides refuge from
mainstream, commercially-oriented sites of cinema consumption, and contributes to the
building of counterpublics through participation, inclusion and provocation. Ultimately,
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