A restless daughter meets a spirit who gives her pure water. Her family devours the delicious water until they begin to suspect more than the origin of its taste.

Tezen is an old Haitian folklore which Shirley Bruno has captured in this short film. This week we review her film as well as talk to her about her process and what it was like to shoot in Basin Bleu, Jakmel.

Writer & Director: Shirley Bruno

Director of Photography : Noé Bach

Producers : Slava Doytcheva, Shirley Bruno

For more information on Shirley Bruno and to see a trailer for Tezen, click HERE.

This week’s film review is of Jerry LaMothe’s The Tombs. The film chronicles a Brooklyn man’s three-day journey through New York’s infamous central booking jail system, famously known as The Tombs. Masterfully done, this film gives us a glimpse of what it’s like to be tangled in the web of the criminal (in)justice system.

Check out The Tombs.

Jerry LaMothe, is a Writer/Director/Producer, Born and raised in Brooklyn. Since founding Tru Life Films in 2000 and releasing his debut award winning film “Amour Infinity“, which he wrote, directed and starred in, the film is

regarded by many as an underground cult classic. He has since gone on to build a very distinctive body of work. Following in the footsteps of his directorial debut, which won numerous film festivals, in 2007 Lamothe wrote/directed and produced the independent film, “Blackout.” The film boasted an impressive ensemble which included Jeffrey Wright, Zoe Saldana, Saul Rubinek, Jamie Hector, Latanya Richardson‐Jackson, Michael B. Jordan and film maverick, Melvin Van Peebles. “Blackout” premiered and was an official selection at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival. Several festival appearances would follow, including the Chicago International Film Festival, The Zurich International Film Festival and Urbanworld, where Lamothe received the “Director’s Spotlight” award. Follow him on Instagram @thejlamothe.

Spoiler alert! This episode has a lot of reveals about the story. Season 2 opens with our review of the acclaimed film Kafou with a bonus eye-opening interview with Kafou Producer Gilbert Mirambeau. This film will keep you at the edge of your seat and setting a standard for the quality in production and storytelling in Haitian Cinema.

Synopsis: Port-au-Prince by night. Doc and Zoe are just hired to deliver an unknown package. Their job comes with three essential rules: never stop the car, never roll down the windows, never open the trunk. At a crossroad, they stumble upon a dog. Each crossroad requires a sacrifice. Their decision will change their path irreversibly.

Producers: Gilbert Mirambeau Jr., Bruno Mourral, Jasmuel Andri

Writers: Jasmuel Andri, Bruno Mourral, Gilbert Mirambeau Jr.

Main Cast: Jasmuel Andri, Rolaphton Mercure, Manfred Marcelin, Rolando Étienne, Marcus Boereau

Brooklyn to Benin: A Vodou Pilgrimage is a short film exploring one woman’s journey documenting the survival of traditional African religion in the Americas. The short creates an alternative cinematic experience of Vodou grounded in honor and respect.

Check out the film here: Brooklyn to Benin: A Vodou Pilgrimage

Life with Tray and Jea is a new web series from the digital platform Mane Moves TV founded by Natasha Gaspard. The series follows two women on their journey of being young and Christian. At times funny, at times heartbreaking but always real, these two provide refreshing insight into what it means to lead a life of faith.

Catch Life with Tray and Jea on YouTube and follow them on Instagram and Facebook.

Natasha Gaspard is the Executive Producer and Founder of Mane Moves Media, Inc. A multiple Emmy Award-nominated television producer she founded Mane Moves to create lifestyle video content for women of color with natural hair.

Francesca Andre’s film Charcoal has sparked much-needed conversation around colorism. This week we review her award-winning short film and discuss colorism and its effects on the Haitian community as well as how this conversation shows up in other African diasporic communities.

For more information about Francesca and her work, check out her website.

Our exclusive interview with Rachele Magloire, Co-Director of the acclaimed film “Deported” dives into a candid conversation about the issues facing Haitians who had been living in the US legally, then convicted of a crime and subsequently deported to Haiti. We talk about the plight of these people, how she was able to find them, the relevance of this film in today’s climate around immigration and much, much more.

This week we take a serious look at the issue of deportation. Deported follows several men in Haiti who have one thing in common: they have been deported from the US or Canada. A striking film, this documentary shares the stories of these men and how they cope with living in a land they are not familiar with.

US policy requires the repatriation of all foreign residents who have been convicted of crimes. Bi-monthly, about 50 Haitians are deported from the United States; 40 percent are convicted legal residents who did their time in America. Canada has a similar policy although the numbers are lower.

You can check out this film through the following channels:

Ayiti Images

CaribbeanTales TV

Third World Newsreel

This week we take a serious look at the issue of deportation. Deported follows several men in Haiti who have one thing in common: they have been deported from the US or Canada. A striking film, this documentary shares the stories of these men and how they cope with living in a land they are not familiar with.

US policy requires the repatriation of all foreign residents who have been convicted of crimes. Bi-monthly, about 50 Haitians are deported from the United States; 40 percent are convicted legal residents who did their time in America. Canada has a similar policy although the numbers are lower.

You can check out this film through the following channels:

Ayiti Images

CaribbeanTales TV

Third World Newsreel

Our exclusive interview with Rachele Magloire, Co-Director of the acclaimed film “Deported” dives into a candid conversation about the issues facing Haitians who had been living in the US legally, then convicted of a crime and subsequently deported to Haiti. We talk about the plight of these people, how she was able to find them, the relevance of this film in today’s climate around immigration and much, much more.