Cinema of Haiti

Cinema Of Haiti

The historiography of Haitian cinema is very limited. It consists only one double issue of the journal of the French Institute of Haiti "Conjonction", released in 1983, devoted to film, a book by Arnold Antonin, published during the same year, entitled "Matériel pour une préhistoire du cinéma haïtien" ("Material for a prehistory of cinema Haiti"), and an article by the same author in the 1981 book Cinéma de l’Amérique latine (Cinema of Latin America) by Guy Hennebel and Alfonso Gumucio Dagrón.

Cinema appeared in Haiti at almost the same time as in other countries. On December 14, 1899, Joseph Filippi, a representative of the Lumiere cinema, made the first public screening at the Petit Séminaire while visiting the island. The next day he filmed a fire in Port-au-Prince.

There are many films from the period of U.S. occupation (1915–1934) in the Library of Congress; these depict Marines and official ceremonies.

Other early movies filmed in Haiti, depicting health care, agriculture, and scenes of social life (particularly carnaval) may be found in the Library of Congress and the Pathé-Ciné Library.

The first continuous film showings, after the visit of the Lumière brothers' representative, took place starting in 1907 at the Petionville Grand Hotel, and then starting in 1914 at the Parisiana located in Port-au-Prince's Champ de Mars. The Parisian was the first major cinema and theater (500 seats) which existed in the country.

In 1933, the Eden Cinema opened in Cap-Haïtien. The Paramount in Port-au-Prince opened the following year, and the Rex Theater in 1935.

The radio pioneer Ricardo Widmaïer was also a pioneer of cinema. In the early 1950s, he made newsreels that were filmed at the Paramount Cinema. In his laboratory in Port-au-Prince, he developed his 16 mm films in black and white and in color. He produced the film Moi, je suis belle with Edouard Guilbaud. Jean Dominique, the screenwriter, also lent his voice to the narration. The sound was done by Herby Widmaier who was then only 15 years old.

Although there is no systematic research and therefore no accurate information on this subject, several variety films were made before the François Duvalier's ascendance in 1957. Emmanuel and Edouard Guilbaud made many films on political events and athletes, often under the direction of Ricardo Widmaier.