The Summerville Arts Council (SAC) and Somerville Community Access Television (SCAT) have issued a call for entries for the Haitian Film and video event in Boston.

Rachel Strutt, one of the event organizers, told Movie Lakay that the event will have a local focus: How Haitian film and video work reflects the local Haitian community and how it educates the larger Boston community about Haiti.

This event will be held on February 4, 2010 in Union Square and will feature over an hour of short documentaries or narrative fiction, and excerpts from longer films and TV shows.

The focus of the films/videos and discussion will be the role of media — radio (the “Agronomist”), film (“Secondhand Pepe”) and TV (excerpts from local shows) as it relates to Haiti and the local Haitian community.

Following the screening there will be a panel discussion, led by Charlot Lucien, founder and co-director of the Haitian Artists Assembly of Massachusetts. Panelists are: Hanna Rose Shell, director of “Second Hand Pepe” and M.I.T. Assistant Professor; Patrick Sylvain, writer, educator, lecturer and photographer; and Ronny Dorvil, Somerville Community Access Television producer.

Possible questions to explore during discussion include: Radio is the dominant form of media in Haiti, yet film, video and TV are playing an increasingly important role in the local Haitian community; why is this? What Haitian films and documentaries are reaching and influencing the non-Haitian community? What are the pros and cons of having non-Haitians produce material about Haiti and Haitian culture? How can Haitian-related film and video support philanthropic causes?

Already lined up for the screening: an excerpt from “The Agronomist” (feature-length documentary by Jonathan Demme) and an excerpt from “Secondhand Pepe” (short documentary by Hanna Rose Shell).

How to Apply
To have your film or video work reviewed for consideration, please send to the address below. Or, send an email to membership@access-scat.orgwith your contact information and a Web link to your work. We reserve the right to select segments of your work to present at the screening.

Haitian Film Event C/O: Jessica Barnthouse

Somerville Community Access Television
90 Union Square
Somerville, MA 02143
Deadline: JANUARY 20, 2010.

Questions
Contact either: rachel@somervilleartscouncil.org or membership@access-scat.org

www.somervilleartscouncil.org

www.access-scat.org