HOW (NOT) TO BUILD A SCHOOL IN HAITI by Jack C. Newell | IN-PERSON (5/25)
HOW (NOT) TO BUILD A SCHOOL IN HAITI by Jack C. Newell | IN-PERSON (5/25)
Chicago Filmmakers (map) | Thursday, May 25 at 7:00
In honor of Haitian Heritage Month, Chicago Filmmakers and the Haitian American Museum of Chicago (HAMOC) will host a screening of Jack C. Newell’s HOW (NOT) TO BUILD A SCHOOL IN HAITI. Development, history, and colonialism collide when a seemingly simple aid project spirals out of control in Haiti. When a headstrong American clashes with a Haitian leader, it forces a reckoning on privilege and power.
Chicago Filmmakers does not deny admission to those who do not have the ability to make a donation. Please email coop [at] chicagofilmmakers.org to inquire about free admission.
PROGRAM
How (Not) to Build a School in Haiti
DIRECTOR: Jack C. Newell
PRODUCERS: Sebastien Narcisse, Dinesh Das Sabu
STARRING: Tim Myers, Anselme Saimplice, Sebastien Narcisse, Joseph Mathurin, Jonathan Katz, Millery Polyne, Timothy Schwartz, Laurent DuBois
COPRESENTED BY: The Haitian American Museum of Chicago (HAMOC)
Hearing an NPR podcast after the 2010 Haiti earthquake, semi-retired construction worker Tim Myers is so moved he decides to build a school in rural Haiti. He meets Anselm Saimplice, the principal of the current school being run out of makeshift buildings, who readily accepts Tim’s help and his vision for a new building. Very quickly, things spiral out of control. Trying to teach Haitian laborers new skills, Tim imposes his style of construction and values. And as filmmakers and aid workers spend more time in Villard, Saimplice reveals himself to be quite different from the vibrant, selfless community leader the radio story represented. Subverting the typical NGO film, filmmakers follow the story of the school through a byzantine network of multimillion dollar NGOs and foreign interests. Woven throughout with expert interviews providing crucial context, the film ultimately questions how documentary itself plays a role in these intractable global problems. How has the simple act of telling a story like this contributed to the very problems the school was trying to solve?
THE HAITIAN AMERICAN MUSEUM OF CHICAGO (HAMOC)
Founded In 2012, the Haitian American Museum of Chicago HAMOC) is the realization of a dream by its founder, Elsie Hector Hernandez, to create an institution that would hold programs and exhibits that will contribute to the multicultural tapestry that is Chicago and showcase Haiti's rich culture and art, as well as its complex history.
Chicago Filmmakers Firehouse Cinema
In-person screenings are held at Chicago Filmmakers’ Firehouse Cinema located at 1326 W. Hollywood Ave in the Edgewater neighborhood. Please be sure to arrive 15 minutes prior to showtime and be ready to present your order confirmation number for admission. Masks are strongly recommended, but not required.
