April 16th from 11 am to 5 pm The festival takes place at 610 Geary Boulevard in San Francisco's Japan Town for details call 415-563-2313 the community calendar is produced by members of the 1st voice apprenticeship program send your listing at least 4 weeks in advance to keep p.f.a. Box 51929 Martin Luther King Jr Way in Berkeley California 94704 email us at calendar at k.p. If they work tell us if your event is wheelchair accessible to your this calendar again call 510-848-6767 extension 621 this calendar is also online at k.p. a Fate dot org. The time here radio stations k p f a k p of b. And birth 94 point one kid p.f.a. 89.3. 8 point one kid if c.f. Coming out of the city of Fresno and 97.5 k 248 Beyond from the city of Santa Cruz online all the time. That can't be a fade orgy in the background sounds of you. You know need to keep the. Heat. And again coming up in the next couple of weeks we've got Dr Renaud correct she's going to be in town and we'll talk about that next week it's going to be April 22nd at the. Stop in downtown Oakland we've also got coming up this Saturday the east side Arts Alliance What will we do without them in prison think community conversation on the black cultural zone the update and Jad is coming up this Saturday's April 8th from 5 to 10 pm at a 2 to 77 International Boulevard in Oakland that's a Saturday I was going to be a down there and then there's going to be jazz with. Dave in Marion County as are you don't want to miss sad Also coming up we'll hear from the 1st segment of Africa today is going to be the African Film Festival coming up here in Berkeley some great films still on the docket there there's also going to be what I'm not sure negro the rope act film is showing will be a talking with get the Fairlane I eat more now more which will be shown on day 28 that will give you a little bit more information on that and much respect to the Life and Work of darkness how I made his transition I shed a. Big if. You would think you know I'm going to. Get the family name is an award winning independent filmmaker a teacher in film curator shipboard in Port au Prince Haiti and she was raised in New York she was an m.f.a. From the University of Paris School of Cinema and she has worked on factual and narrative film for European American television she produced in coal curated to critically examine I hate young. Screen in 2014 will break 800 bicentennial She also helped to launch Haiti's Film Festival shock man in 2004 and she joins us today to talk about her film which is coming up at the film festival here in Berkeley the African Film Festival. More get a thanks for joining Africa today thank you and you fan thank you thank you fantastic it's a great festival coming up in fact I think there's another Him filmmaker there I will pack and of course and some band Joy great company they're getting. Once again. The film. That's being shown back my compatriots the sunshine and getting a lot of traction Baldwin and I'm excited that it's part of the festival this year yeah fantastic and in some notes I've read you talked about your from my team on a more as a love point to your native land where did that come from well the trying to say get to. Well. When when when when the earthquake happened. 7 years ago. We were the invited by apply there are images of disaster and. I wanted to show a different I want to show a different Haiti the Haiti that I know that I guarantee of story and the images that come out as have like no context we don't know you know what's behind them they're always you know in the same way like. Says a destitute people and Haiti is so much more than that and the Haiti that I know that I experience is a Haiti of the of the people of grace and dignity who find ways to negotiate and mitigate disaster with with with humor with confusion and mystery and that's basically what I want to bring out in the film and when I say that it's a loved one that the way the film really came. To me 4 years to make the film and so it's it is a homage to 2 should make people to my compatriots of a great so there is that when you give us a sketch of the of the story line we want to drive people to see as we want to say too much and you also I think there is being used the word has been used as Neal realist What does that mean in the context of the story and what you're doing with this getting. I call it a magic Mary-Alice tale because it makes as folklore of magic trailers and that you can find in our literature. In our folk tales but also in I think it's cablegrams to Marquez who coined the term magic realism and the neo realism really borrowed 20 talian and and Japanese and Indian cinema that you. Real people in real situation so I makes it a little bit affixed to the name of the theater there are scenes in the film for example there's a commemorative March for the. Victims of the earthquake it's a real commom of the combative March that then I take where. Within that same. There are many moments like that and so and that's where the the makes the makes of jungle comes and the film is very. It's a coming of age story of a teenager. Who takes boy who's trying to come to terms with the with the death of his father who passed away in the earthquake and I think a chance of just growing up in between ages between cultures and and dealing with you know growing up but at the same time and one day goes as far as includes back with electrical power and. Power means response ability. And the 2nd story is a love story between the fisherman and his wife with come down with the with an illness that only seek to cure and the 3rd story is a story of a complex relationship between an author and his name was partly a character of a small and decide to leave the also to go and live her own life. From myself wrapped up in the in the character given Yes I think we're I work very well there is a film is only a what part of Haiti was a film done in the. That someone shot inject Mel chips on the South East Coast of the country and it the place where. It's the region where my mom is from but it's also a place and I'd like to go back to. 2003 to my my son might have been an argument there and he stayed there for 2 years so we have a community of friends people. Who love us and whom trust in the truth and it's what the 7000000000 wanted to do it I always say that I'm making my film with my child and so my child got my meeting and of the people in action and he and and people like that who backed me and helped me out no matter what Doesn't some of them don't camp example and so my community you know people just you know backing the film and want to for it to come to fruition you did a film is in the let me see if I'm can't hear you let me know it's political but it's not set simply to be to a political story I mean you have references to the earthquake you have references to oh what's happened in terms of how the quake affected to see you have stories ia you mentioned the names of Henry Cleese don't say how did you navigate not being just a political film but at the same time being a cultural political narrative. I only say that I don't make films as a whole as a political pamphlet I don't like that I mean maybe I should come 1st and so although I think it's good that he doesn't make political films that make it sound political so it and I believe. That you know growing up hadn't gone after and now. And the dictatorship. Just isn't really in my d.n.a. So whenever I set out to make a film it's going to have some political. Inclination in terms of where I am the faith that I'm in and and what I'm looking at what I'm dealing with so the film does deal with the actual political situation of the country because I mean after the quake there is squandering of the funds not by the Haitian government but by the. International organizations themselves and those so we make you know a little bit of. An allusion to that and then also protests in the street toeing the Haitian government whether or not paying you know the teachers. Their cues and so the students are protesting and she can be the real protest going on while or making the film and I ain't too great that into the into the narrative so I basically make a film where I am and what's going on around me I can't ignore it at the same time but I don't set out like that I don't set out to make a political film I set out to make a work of art that is partially political and how did you work with was speaking with get a family and her film which is in Title I. Is coming to the African Film Festival here in the city of Berkeley is going to be shown on April 28th because as you did the film there were other stories that were popping up meaning the story of cholera in the United Nations the story of the electoral process a hurricane Matthew. Story it must have been some challenges in there you know getting. As I was making the film the cholera epidemic was had been had. Subsided. So I didn't integrated as part of the narrative because there was no one around me who had been. Affected with the disease that had been I would have integrated into the narrative and would have found a way to integrate into the narrative because I was making this film as I was going along although I had like a script that was written and locked but I allowed myself that kind of. Flexibility to bring in what was going on while I was there was kind of like a vessel as I was making the film. But you know the u.n. Presence is still there I mean the N.G.O.s are still here and so that kind of like found its way through the narrative as well. And Matthew to happened after I had already shot the film the film was already in the festival circuit match it happened dry here I think most of them I thought it in the summer of 2014 and I went back in January 2000 chain and shot 2 more edited the film and and it was in the festival circuit as of last year in April so I'd been toying with the film for about a year. So yeah. Matthew came after the film was done but had he said it happened it would have been you know part it would have been it would have found itself as part of the narrative as well as the story of the of the c.n. The scenes there under underwater in. The graveyard scene in those type of things. I always think of her diversionary Christo you always think of the pride of Haitian people how does that cultural narrative that you were building and this kind of tenacity along with. I have to say this resilience of Haiti how were you trying to get that out how did that story how is that story a real story for a Haitian like yourself. I think I think when we set out to make films and set out to make films from a place of generosity and a place of where we want to share. Something that where what it was feeling something that I'm way experiencing with the rest of the world and for me making this film and this juncture was a way of saying. Haiti is here Haiti exists in Haiti wants to be in conversation with the rest of the world and so but on her own terms. In making this kind of narrative that allows us to go can pass to present to as a homage should this place for the same time with storing silver fictional. Is a way for me to to to take Katie out of the sides elation and I think that's a sentiment she used toit think the Japanese use that after Hiroshima as well now back to the Konitz they were they managed to create great art and pretend I'm a you know to take Japan out of this isolation Italy did it with them telling a neo realism cinema as well and for me I placed Haiti in that whole context as well and to say how can I use the enema to take Haiti either besides the way should so so we can be in call for work and not the world always looking at the victims and and so it was it behooves doing as a Haitian filmmaker to sort of create that that that kind of narrative that that was palpable that people can also be able to have a a relationship with it I mean I was looking at the Facebook page for and following a couple of things one was the theme of raising money to do a film which seems like it's a real task and the other one was the fact that it's been. In Naples in card game in Toronto in Johannesburg in routine a fossil in Miami it seems to be doing very well and the response is a pia really well. Talk about that the response to it especially by Haitians and the point of raising money to do a project that seems every again. I I I I I showed the film to a predominantly Haitian crowd after haven't shown it to. Their use crowd that had shown any of the carousel some festivals and I showed it again and again then it was shit showed in the conference as go last chair and then June of last year I showed a predominantly Haitian crowd and. I watched a film with the musician. One. Of them. By putting an end and the pulse of the crowd was just so amazing that I felt like Wow Ok I think I've done my job and the response was was amazing because you're always very very weary of Mirrodin people when you make a film you know like that and they got to be very critical they're not giving and so on and so forth that but I would say that I was completely embraced by this crowd and one woman said to me one thing I can say watch a film which if only it's true and I thought that was one of the biggest compliment and so it's it's had an effect on people all over the touching folks in ways that I never thought that it would touch people I mean in Naples for example a woman told me that for a long time her or her character the character of Ernest Hemingway's in the fisherman and the same was a wonderful character for her in terms of like you know in terms of. That. And she said you know now it's a character the session and character in my own kind of like the place that character for her and I thought that was beautiful so when people have that kind of relationship with the work that you've done it's no longer yours but the long of them and so they interpret it the way that they that they want and how it and how it resonates with them and you hear that then you know that you've done your work and I think it has resonated with people on a multiple way and. A gentleman told me he stood up that some guy made a spiritual realm and and I felt like. I tried to be a spiritual person as much like cat and when you hear that then you're you're like Ok well that part of me is also there and yeah it was a good film I I think after taking a joy to see this segment there where the men are talking sitting around and it is just so reminiscent of you know those conversations among men wherever you see me and gathering around their work anywhere in the world like I was just really beautiful I took it it took me a while to figure out the thing about the clothes pins on the ears I guess. Because when you lose you have to sort of like and you become what they called become a dog so the dominoes playing dominoes and then when you know when you're losing it's there if you have to do something once but you have to put a close can on your good I'm glad I lose it dominoes I'm definitely don't want any clothes pins around to look like to look like that but you know you've been involved in creating the film festival in just now I've actually been to Jack now before so it's a beautiful it's a beautiful city a good friend of mine Gloria Rolando actually did her film about Haiti I think she did some shots and I believe also and and Jacques Now how is a film festival growing that you worked on that you've been part of building get the. The festival the festival organizers came to me when I was doing my my my project painting on screen in New York in 2004 and that way to come and work with them because I had already built this whole selection of films so we basically transplanted my my best of all most of my films to theirs and then we added more films of good local productions and unfortunately the festival no longer exists because if it was a huge project it was a huge endeavor but it did give birth to a phone call and. We're trying to revive it we're trying to revive a kind of encounter cinematic a sort of a cinematic. Cinema and counter in Jacmel with trying to do that for the month of October so there's a lot of work you know to be done it's difficult to have things. Be sustainable here simply because we're all aware at the mercy of like you know the weather and and and political instability and you know and so we have to sort of we just keep going people keep going I mean the jazz festival just keeps going and you know no matter what the climate is I think that the question of like thinking it through and thing this is this is what we need to be doing in order to to to to make culture an important part really of patient society because it exists already as a question of using it so people can condemn communicate with each other so we can invite other other artists to Haiti and have to be kind of exchanges and that's what the festival was it was a platform for that and that but it's a but it's not it's not simple but it is trying to revive that judge and I was working with. Was just done how was it to me obviously work with. All his life but now you're moving him around in his got lines he's got responsibility how was that experience Getty. I think it I think for me it was a resume thing because I used a little bit of who he was to give like the character oh say and. And I tried to cast other people and I couldn't find anyone who had that kind of like that and who also was between different cultures as well so that it was kind of like obvious at the end that it would be him and so it was it was it was a joy it was a joy even Terry Some call it was seamless and I think he did it because it was a family project as well but it was like he did it with a lot of respect for lot of want a lot of love and and so when people ask him how did you know that be corrected by your mother he said you know she's been directing me all my life. To him that was it was if it was easy it came out to be simple and he was that a brother was an actor who helped him also to get into the character but he was a teenager and he had gone through that you know the fight the morning grieving but that he you know he channeled you know some of the like to see me Gino attitude and behavior and I had to bring like that character yeah I love the I love his character I'll show love the the the couple there the right area the muse in. Walking off into the sea and the boat into the into sea is one of the things just magical about an island where you have the sea just kind of lapping up on the edges of everything so. I get a and which wonderful that you're going to be able to show it again here in the Bay Area as part of the African Film Festival is going to be shown here on April 28th as part of a film festival. Which includes some other great artist great producers and directors and writers like yourself and what's next on the table you're I'm sure you're working on another project as we speak. I am actually but I'm also trying to finish the festival circuit but the elements of that into the world and let go of it I've been a company accompanying it now for the last year and I'm ready to let go and have it like having my own life. And them by to achieve usual company and fun and. For some sort of whatcha call we need in the summer. We're looking we're talking to some folks in the United States that is well for the u.s. It's very special I have and I'm obviously. And I'm developing the next project and yeah and I kind of like letting go little by little of the film and moving towards the next one well today which is the feature length merit it takes place to New York and Haiti will get Thanks so much for getting this to us and sharing with as other dreams and visions about your country I a team. I'm We've been talking with get the Fed means who is the filmmaker curator and this is their feature length