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The Raboteau Trial BY RENE RODRIGUEZ
For several days in April 1994, Haitian military and paramilitary troops murdered, tortured and terrorized the citizens of Raboteau, a neighborhood 90 miles north of Port-au-Prince. An estimated 50 people were killed in the massacre, which was part of the coup that ousted Haitian president Jean Bertrand Aristide.
Six years later, witnesses and relatives of the victims succeeded in bringing 22 former soldiers to trial for their participation in the killings. Using a journalistic approach, The Raboteau Trial documents the efforts of the various individuals who persevered against Haiti's ''climate of impunity'' to bring charges against the gunmen and provide closure to the tragedy.
As Michelle Montas, widow of slain Haitian activist Jean Dominique, explains in the film, criminal trials are something people are not used to in Haiti, where justice used to be seen as something people could buy in the market. Co-directors Christine Cynn and Harriet Hirshorn show how the arrogance of the accused -- who laugh and mug their way through the trial and ridicule the testimony of eyewitnesses -- suggests they never really thought they would ever be found guilty, a sad testament to Haiti's tumultuous, lawless history.
The most indelible image in The Raboteau Trial, however, comes when one of the townspeople is sworn in before his testimony, his hand shaking but held high, clearly frightened but intent on doing his part for justice. (Fri, Feb. 06, 2004 ) |
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International Festivals: Jakmel Film Festival (July 2004), Jakmel, Haiti Deuxième Festival International du Film des Droits de l’Homme de Paris (March 2004), Paris, France Festival International du Film sur les Droits Humains (March 2004), Geneva, Switzerland 4th Annual Human Rights Night Film Festival, Opening Event (March 2004), Bologna, Italy 6th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival (March 2004), Thessaloniki, Greece 17e Festival International de Programmes de l’Audiovisuel (January, 2004), Biarritz, France Female Eye Film Festival (November 2003), Toronto, Ontario, Canada Global Visions Film Festival (November 2003), Edmonton, Alberta, Canada 24th Durban International Film Festival (October 2003), Durban, South Africa Leeds International Film Festival (October 2003), Leeds, England 3 Continents International Human Rights Film Festival (September 2003), Johannesburg, South Africa Festival International de Bruxelles (September 2003), Brussels, Belgium Activating Human Rights Film Festival (July 2003), Byron Bay, Australia 1001 Documentary Nights Film Festival (March 2003), Istanbul, Turkey
United States Festivals: Through Her Eyes: Women of Color Film Festival (June 2004), New York, NY Langston Hughes Film Festival (May 2004), New York, NY Amnesty International USA Film Festival (May 2004), West Hollywood, CA Syracuse International Film Festival (April 2004), Syracuse, NY Women in the Director’s Chair Film Festival (March 2004), Chicago, IL Miami International Film Festival (February 2004), Miami, FL Detroit Docs (November 2003), Detroit, MI Annapolis Film Festival (November 2003), Annapolis, MD New York International Independent Film Festival (November 2003), New York, NY Berkeley Independent Video and Film Festival (November 2003), Berkeley, CA Vermont International Film Festival (October 2003), Burlington, VT Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival (October-November 2003), Ft. Lauderdale, FL Wilmington International Film Festival (October 2003), Wilmington, DE Boston International Film Festival (July 2003), Boston, MA Cine las Americas (April 2003), Austin, TX WorldFest (April 2003), Houston, TX ValleyFest (March 2003), Knoxville, TN Big Muddy Film Festival (March 2003), Carbondale, IL Santa Barbara International Film Festival (February 2003), Santa Barbara, CA Peace and Human Security Media Festival (November 2002), New York, NY
Other Screenings: Forum on Haiti, Latin American Studies, Macalester College (February 2005), St. Paul, MN Tuscon Peace Center (February 2005), Tuscon, AZ University of Oregon Law School (February 2005), Eugene, OR College of Charleston, “Haiti 201: Slavery, Struggle, Survival” (January 2005), Charleston, SC Middlebury College (November 2004), Middlebury, VT Yale University Law School, Orville H. Schell, Jr. Center for Human Rights, (October 2004), New Haven, CT Dartmouth College, Film and Panel Discussion on Democracy and Human Rights in Haiti, Dartmouth International Humanitarian Foundation and The Tucker Foundation (May 2004), Hanover, NH Portland State University, “The U.S.in Haiti: Democratic Rule, Regime Change, and Human Rights” (May 2004), Portland, OR International Center on Transitional Justice, Screening and panel discussion (April 2004), New York, NY David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, Harvard University, and the Human Rights Program, Harvard Law School, “Human Rights in Haiti” (April 2004), Cambridge, MA African Literature Association Annual Meeting, Screening and discussion (April 2004), Madison, WI Barnard College, Barnard Forum on Migration (April 2004), New York, NY University of California, Hastings Law School (February 2004), San Francisco, CA Pratt Institute, Mini-Film Series (November 2002), Brooklyn, NY Haitian Studies Association Annual Meeting (October 2002), Port-au-Prince, Haiti |
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