HAITI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL to Screen 16 Films in Hollywood
Actor Béchir Sylvain will host the event under the theme Konnesans: The Art of Knowledge in Haitian Cinema.
The Haiti International Film Festival has announced 16 official selections for its 11th annual gathering of Pan-African filmmaking, set to take place at the Barnsdall Gallery Theatre in Hollywood. Founded in 2015 by documentary filmmaker, cultural advocate, and cinema professor Jacquil Constant, the nonprofit festival was created to elevate Haitian and African Diasporic storytelling and provide a space for artists, audiences, and community to gather around film. This year's edition will be hosted by actor and festival ambassador Béchir Sylvain, known for Jurassic Park: Rebirth and Marvel's Wonder Man, under the theme Konnesans: The Art of Knowledge in Haitian Cinema.
This year's theme, 'Konnesans: The Art of Knowledge in Haitian Cinema,' reflects HIFF's belief that cinema can carry history, memory, resistance, healing, and heritage forward. At a time when Haiti continues to be discussed through headlines about instability and displacement, the festival offers a different and necessary lens — one centered on Haitian creativity, lived experience, and the voices of filmmakers telling their own stories with nuance and immense cultural pride.
''Konnesans' speaks to the power of knowledge not only as education, but as cultural inheritance,' said Constant. 'These films reflect the richness of Haitian and Diasporic life, and the importance of creating spaces where that work can be seen, discussed, and celebrated by the Pan-African community.'
2026 Official Selections
Noni Olabisi: Troubled Island, Directed by Desha Dauchan, TRT: 12:44. In 2003, Noni Olabisi received a commission to create a mural inspired by the 1949 opera 'Troubled Island,' by William Grant Still and Langston Hughes. This adaptation connects the provocative vision of these earlier artists with Noni's own, as she brings the historical Haitian Revolution to her contemporary moment. The mural aims to inspire colonized minds to recognize their power and persist in their pursuit of freedom. Featuring UCI Professor and Haitian Historian Felix Jean-Louis (his work is highlighted in feature documentary, 'The Forgotten Occupation') the documentary short film is currently showing at The Huntington in Pasadena. Category: Short Documentary
Where the Leaves Grow Green, Directed by Don-Dimitri Joseph, TRT: 19:00. Where the Leaves Grow Green, explores questions of identity, family, forgiveness, and home. Through intimate storytelling and authentic performances, he hopes to create work that helps audiences see themselves and others a little more clearly. Exploring themes of ICE and immigration, the film stars Bechir Sylvain (Jurassic Park: Rebirth, Marvel's Wonder Man, Host of HIFF). Category: Narrative
The Creole Pig: Haiti's Great Loss, Directed by Dudley Alexis, TRT: 57:00. 'The Creole Pig: Haiti's Great Loss recounts the story of the remarkable Creole Pig, a livestock that was central to Haitian life for generations. Native to Haiti, the Creole Pig was a cornerstone of rural farming communities, providing farmers with a vital source of economic stability and resilience. Category: Feature Documentary
GREEN, Directed By Katiana Farrier, TRT: 16:31. Returning back home to Miami, FL to lay her grandmother to rest, Nadia reconnects with her cousin Sabine over a joint. They unpack life reflecting back on the individual paths they've chosen and wonder if the grass is truly greener on the other side. Category: Short Narrative
Diaspora Power, Directed by Joseph Hillel, TRT: 53:11. Inspired by the stories of women and men arriving in the 1960s and 1970s, Diaspora Power explores the immigration and integration journeys of the Haitian community in Quebec. Category: Feature Documentar
Daughters of the Sea, Directed by Nedge Victome, TRT: 9:05. A woman brings her barren womb to the sea in search of healing, and what rises to meet her will change her forever. Category: Experimental Short Film
HOME, Directed by Kelvin Wade Garvanne, TRT: 11:12. HOME is based on my personal experiences caring for aging family members. HOME touches upon aging, family relationships, and intergenerational wealth. Category: Narrative
Ti Blan, Directed by Dwight Ellis, TRT: 30:00. The story of Ti Blan draws inspiration from the lives of my Haitian family and I. A few years ago, I lost my grandmother, the matriarch of my family. She spoke only Creole, a language I never fully learned, and though words often failed us, the power of her love never did and one lesson she showed me is that family is everything - and that's the heart of Ti Blan. Category: Short Narrative
The Heroes Of the Massacre River, Directed by Samuel Dameus, TRT: 1:20:36. The Heroes of the Massacre River is a powerful documentary that chronicles the stories of the pioneers behind the construction of the historic Canal of Ouanaminthe, a project that united Haitians across the nation and the diaspora. This film celebrates the groundbreaking efforts of key figures, including Dr. Bertrhude Albert, Dr. Naismy-Mary Fleurant, Architect Wideline Pierre, Economist Etzer Emile, and dedicated canal workers Milourie Sylfrard, Theodore Johnson, and Joseph Pressoir, guided by the investigative journey of Max Angie Clervil. Category: Feature Documentary
The Road Ahead, Directed by Job Lucet, TRT: 07:01. In a country where opportunities are scarce, two young Haitians are abandoned during their attempt to leave. Faced with uncertainty, they make a bold choice: to stay and build their future from nothing, proving that success is not found abroad, but created at home. Category: Short Narrative
Stay with Me, Directed by Samuel Ladouceur, TRT: 07:04. Set in the gritty, violent streets of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, hard-hitting investigative journalist Margaret Goodman's work exposing corruption constantly puts her in danger, threatening the safety of the family she fiercely tries to protect. Category: Short Narrative
Run from Rain, Directed by Jess DiPierro Obert, TRT: 25:33. Two years ago 16-year-old Macul Nelson lost both of his parents due to gang violence and had to flee Port Lafiteau on the outskirts of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince to the Central Plateau where he now resides with his former neighbor and stand-in grandmother. As the eldest of four siblings, this short film follows Macul as he works through the trauma of violence and the growing power of gangs in Haiti. Despite friends and the pull of gangs recruitment of young men across the country, Macul finds a home and support system at a Summits Education school in the small commune of Marerouge at a time when more than 300,000 children have no access to school and 1 million people are displaced by gangs in the country. Category: Short Documentar
The Solanges: Angels of the Sun, Directed by Mina Nabil, TRT: 09:28. The Solanges: Angels of the Sun is a reflexive and visually poetic documentary following Dr. Solanges Vivens, a pioneering Haitian-American entrepreneur, on a deeply personal quest to uncover the legacy of Saint Solange, a 9th-century French martyr whose defiance still resonates today. Category: Short Narrative
Montmartre, Directed by LEON HENDRIX, TRT: 01:43:00. Disillusioned with her lackluster life, JO takes a break and visits the storied French district of MONTMARTRE. There she falls for TOUSSAINT, a tour guide with a penchant for poetry and a strong belief in the power of Magic and Romance. Through their curious connection, Black History, art and love intertwine, reconnecting Jo to her long-lost passion for life. The film stars Jesse Williams (Grey's Anatomy). Category: Feature Narrative
HAIRDOO, Directed by Exodia Demosthene, TRT: 11:00. The night before school photos, a spirited young girl, desperately attempts to recreate the perfect hairstyle. With the guidance of an otherworldly hairstylist, she embarks on a magical journey of self-acceptance. Category: Short Narrative
Makeup & Medicine, Directed by Gabriyèl Barlatier, TRT: 14:07. 'When all hell breaks loose' is a powerful statement, and in the case of this story, it is indeed an accurate description of what happens when Stephanie, a first-generation Haitian-American, decides to become a makeup artist after facing multiple rejections from medical school. Category: Short Narrative
The 11th Annual Haiti International Film Festival will present honors including the Haitian Diaspora Award to award-winning author and Yale Professor, Marlene Daut; the Haitian Community Award to actress and producer, Tessa Munro (NCIS, Captain Tsunami); and the Haitian Ally Award to actor/model and filmmaker, Rodney Charles. As well as film awards in the following categories: Best Feature Film, Best Documentary Film, Best Innovative Film, Best African Diaspora Short Film, Best Social Justice Short Film, and Best Haitian Diaspora Short Film.
The festival will feature special guests including actor and creative consultant for Marvel's Wonder Man Jean Elie (Winner of Best TV Series, Send Help, HIFF 2022), director of Hulu's Jagged Mind and recipient of the 2021 SXSW Special Jury Award for Multi-Hyphenate, Kelley Kali (Winner of Best Short Film Lalo's House, HIFF 2018).
In addition to the festival itself, HIFF will continue its mentorship-driven mission through educational and cultural initiatives, including filmmaker training resources and a creative retreat in Cap-Haïtien planned for Q1 2027. These efforts are part of HIFF's broader commitment to community healing, networking, and professional growth for creatives from Haiti and more broadly across the African diaspora.
For more information and tickets, visit haitiinternationalfilmfestival.org.
The 2026 lineup spans documentaries, narratives, shorts, and experimental work, including Noni Olabisi: Troubled Island, directed by Desha Dauchan, which examines a mural inspired by the 1949 opera Troubled Island by William Grant Still and Langston Hughes. Constant said the festival's theme reflects the richness of Haitian and Diasporic life and the importance of spaces where such work can be seen and celebrated by the Pan-African community.
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