CinéMansA is dedicating a double feature to Elsie Haas, Haitian painter and filmmaker. In Paris and then Marseille, discover Safi Faye's portrait of her and her first film, Zatrap, followed by a meeting with the artist.
This session offers an immersion into the world of Elsie Haas, a multidisciplinary artist whose work explores the social and cultural realities of Haiti and the Caribbean. The program opens with a short film by Safi Faye that introduces us to the visual art of Haas, who is based in Paris. It is followed by Zatrap, the director's first film shot in Martinican Creole, which depicts the daily lives of men and women in Martinique.
The screening will be followed by a discussion between Elsie Haas and archivist June Givanni, founder of the Pan-African archives that bear her name.
Elsie Haas, Haitian filmmaker and visual artist, arrived in France as a teenager. In her work, she explores the socio-political and cultural realities of Haitian and Caribbean societies, whether through fiction (Mwin sé an moun kon ou minm, Les Saints et les anges) or documentaries shot in Haiti (La ronde du vodù, Les rois de la route). At the same time, Elsie Haas has had a distinguished career as a painter, documented by Safi Faye in a short portrait in 1985. She has written numerous screenplays and, since 2006, has been writing the blog Le Monde du Sud, dedicated to news from Haiti, the Caribbean, and South America.
June Givanni has been a leading figure in Pan-African cinema for over 40 years. Born in Guyana and educated in the UK, she is a member of the Royal Society of Arts. She is the founder of the June Givanni Pan-African Cinema Archive (JGPACA), a living archive bringing together a unique collection dedicated to African and diasporic cinema. Her cultural commitment has been recognized with the Special Jury Prize at the British Independent Film Awards. June Givanni has also worked to support Black filmmakers in the United Kingdom and has accompanied the emergence of new African talent internationally.
This cycle was designed by Annabelle Aventurin, archivist and programmer. Specializing in film preservation and promotion, she has worked on the conservation and distribution of Med Hondo's works and is currently working on those of Haitian director Elsie Haas. As a programmer, she is involved in various festivals, contributing to the distribution of films that are often little known. In 2022, she will release her first documentary essay, Le Roi n’est pas mon cousin (The King is not my cousin).
The screening of the recently digitized version of Zatrap has been made possible thanks to the support of University College London and the Film Flamme association.
Elsie Haas, Haitian painter and filmmaker by Safi Faye (France/Senegal, 1985, 8 min) │ Zatrap by Elsie Haas (France, 1978, 51 min)
